Post-Brexit prosperity fund will give Doncaster considerably less than previous EU provisions

Doncaster Council has approved funding from a flagship government levelling up scheme, but Mayor Ros Jones says the amount is “tiny” compared to previous EU resources.

The city will receive £8,960,875 from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) to cover a time period of three years.

The government created the scheme to replace previous EU funding, respond to the cost-of-living crisis and support growth.

It is also in line with its levelling up scheme which aims to reduce wealth disparities across different regions of the country.

Councillors approved the funding in a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, 14 December.

Doncaster’s Mayor, Ros Jones said: “At a time when council budgets are being cut and residents are experiencing a cost of living crisis, this funding represents a tiny amount of what would have been available through EU funding.

“In Doncaster we will use this funding to target our communities, businesses and residents who are most in need.”

The majority of funding will be distributed in 2024/25 to attract wealth to the city and address inequality.

The South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) put in a bid for the funding in August, which included a breakdown of investment plans for the whole region.

Despite original plans from the government to roll out the funding from October, decision on the bid has only recently been made.

Mayor Jones therefore urged the cabinet to approve the funding to allow for rollout to begin in the new year.

She also stated that the SYMCA would supplement funds in the meantime from their own budget if the rollout did not go ahead in January as planned.

Supplementary to the UKSPF is the Rural Prosperity Fund, which will see Doncaster receive £634,307 in years two and three of the scheme.

This part of the fund can only be spent in rural parts of Doncaster with populations of under 10,000.

In addition to the UKSPF funding, cabinet approved an approx £1.45m allocation from the Multiply programme.

This programme aims to improve numeracy skills among the adult population through courses and digital platforms.