About the Rural England Prosperity Fund

The Government on 3 September 2022 announced a new £110m Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF), which will help to improve productivity and strengthen the rural economy and rural communities.

The REPF is a top-up to and complementary to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and succeeds EU funding from LEADER and the Growth Programme, which were part of the Rural Development Programme for England. Details of the fund can be found at Gov.uk: Rural England Prosperity Fund: prospectus.

County Durham has been allocated £3.5m of REPF funding, to be delivered over the next two years, 2023/24 and 2024/25.

The Rural England Prosperity Fund will provide capital grants to support small and micro business, tourism infrastructure, culture and heritage assets and community infrastructure within the county's rural areas.

Call for UK Shared Prosperity Fund projects