Kemi Badenoch MP has welcomed the news that Chelmsford and Uttlesford will benefit from over £1.2 million in new funding from the Conservative Government as part of the Rural England Prosperity Fund.
The £110 million fund is a top-up of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which both Chelmsford and Uttlesford have also benefitted from. Eligible councils will begin to deliver on their plans in the coming weeks and receive the extra investment between 2023 and 2025.
Local projects across the constituency will benefit from the additional funding to help improve community facilities and support arts and culture to grow local tourism. Agricultural businesses looking to expand their remit and rural businesses looking to launch or grow will also receive investment.
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund has given local leaders more say over the spending of funds in their area than previous EU funding for rural areas and is delivering on the commitment to allow England to take back control of its own growth investment.
The extra funding builds on the Conservative Government’s commitment to level up rural areas by delivering major upgrades to connectivity through Project Gigabit, with contracts being awards for towns and villages in the north of the constituency. The share of rural premises with access to gigabit capable connects has already increased by 11 per cent since January 2021 alone.
Commenting, Mrs Badenoch said:
“Our constituency holds unique opportunities for growth and with the right investment and support we can harness that potential to create jobs, grow our local economy and support local organisations and businesses in Chelmsford and Uttlesford.
“I worked with both Chelmsford City and Uttlesford District Council in support of their bids for this funding and will continue to support officers as the projects set to benefit local organisations progress. I look forward to sharing more information about the projects and seeing the benefits of this investment across the constituency from both the Rural and Shared prosperity funds.”
