Published: Wednesday, 12th October 2022
A potential £1.5million funding boost for rural communities in west Norfolk has been announced and the council needs the public’s help to decide how it could spend the money if secured.
The money comes from the Government’s Rural England Prosperity Fund and can be used in a variety of ways that address some of the specific challenges rural communities face.
Cllr Stuart Dark MBE, Leader of the Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk, said:
“We are the fifth-biggest district in England covering an area of 550 square miles so we cover a vast and predominantly rural area.
“It’s one of the reasons many people choose to live here: it gives people an excellent quality of life.
“However, it also presents unique challenges when it comes to delivering services over such a wide area.
“This is one of the reasons we set up a local member fund, to make sure every ward in the borough had an opportunity to access funds to support communities. We also support local infrastructure through Community Infrastructure Levy funding.
“The announcement of a potential £1.5million in further support for our rural communities is welcome.
“We need to make sure that the proposal we will develop for spending this money aligns with what our rural communities themselves think is important.
“We have put together short surveys for our residents and businesses to find out what they think would make the most difference to them. Once we have this information we will use it to build a proposal that is based on their priorities.”
The fund can be used to support capital projects for small businesses and communities, in particular where those projects have a wider benefit to the local economy.
Short surveys for residents and businesses open on Friday 14 October and will be live until midnight on 30 October. The surveys can be accessed through the following link: www.west-norfolk.gov.uk/repf.
Cllr Dark added:
“This money will be spent to benefit our rural communities so it is essential your voices are heard. Please take part in the survey to make sure that the proposals we submit to the Government will bring the maximum benefit to you.”