Cornish MPs Sheryll Murray and Scott Mann have called on local groups and people to get their bids in for a chance to share Cornwall’s £132 million replacement scheme for EU funding.
The Shared Prosperity Fund (SPF) is a national scheme which will replace the Convergence and Objective One funding which Cornwall received prior to Brexit. Cornwall Council is administrating the funds on behalf of Westminster and SPF has been designed to be easier to access than schemes in the past. The MPs are looking forward to seeing many bids coming in from across North and South East Cornwall - two areas which did not significantly benefit from EU projects. Businesses, community organisations, public bodies, and partnerships - that can contribute to the Council’s ‘Good Growth ambitions’ - have been asked to come forward with their project ideas for invitations to bid.
Scott Mann, MP for North Cornwall said:
“My team recently met with Cornwall Council to discuss how the project is going and I was concerned that only 13% of the bids come from North Cornwall and just 4% in South East Cornwall. I am strongly encouraging any interested parties to put forward expressions of interest for the Shared Prosperity Fund while it remains open. If you have been thinking about a scheme that you would like funding for – now is the time. It is extremely important that you express interest as a matter of urgency so that any projects you wish to bring forward are considered. I have been assured by Cornwall Council Leader Linda Taylor, that North and South East Cornwall is being prioritised due to its previous lack of funding by ERDF and the council, so again, I urge you to put forward bids no matter how large or how small. Sheryll and I have worked hard with the council and in Westminster to get North and South East Cornwall at the front of the queue for this important post-Brexit funding. We need to work together as we all want the whole of Cornwall to finally get the backing it fully deserves.”
Sheryll Murray, MP for South East Cornwall said:
“When I heard from the Council that just 4% of bids came from South East Cornwall when we are roughly a sixth of the Duchy and indeed only a quarter of the bids came from the Eastern half of Cornwall I was keen to ensure that people from this end of the county knew that people could make expressions of interest for the Shared Prosperity Fund until it closes. I feel it is essential that we get our fair share of funding in our corner of Cornwall and I join my colleague Scott Mann in urging local bids from this important source of government funding.”
Organisations interested in accessing the SPF must fill in a very simple one-page enquiry form on the website, and after that, they will be contacted and offered help and advice going forward.
More information, including how your organisation can express interest, can be found here: https://ciosgoodgrowth.com/funding-opportunities/
