Issue - meetings

The Government recently launched the Shared Prosperity Fund which grants every local authority in the UK an allocation of funding for a three- year period up to March 2025.

The Council has been allocated £1million for the three-year period (the smallest amount that can be allocated) with the majority of the funding being available in the final funding year (2024-25).

To secure the funding the Council must submit a Prosperity Fund Intervention Plan by the 1 August 2022 to DLUHC setting out how the council will spend their funding allocation and how this aligns with the aims of the funding set by Central Government

Following consideration, the Committee agreed with 7 votes for, 1 vote against 1 abstention and the Chair not voting to:

(1)      Agree the interventions set out in Paragraph 2.16-2.19 of the report to be included in the submission of the Epsom and Ewell Shared Prosperity Fund Intervention Plan to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC).

(2)      To consider the further recommendations made by the Strategy and Resources Committee for future submissions.

The Committee received a report requesting approval to the submission of the Epsom and Ewell Shared Prosperity Fund Intervention Plan to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC).

The following matters were considered:

a)              Recommendations for projects to be considered for future years. Members were informed that due to the timescales set by the Government for the submission of bids, there was not opportunity to amend the proposed schemes for 2022-23 and 2023-24 following this meeting. It was noted that there was some flexibility with regard to schemes for 2024-25 and that the views of the Committee could be used to guide the submission for 2024-25 and onwards. Members of the Committee identified the following projects for consideration for future submissions of the Prosperity Fund Intervention Plan:

·                 Working with arts and cultural businesses to provide courses to young people to increase their skills.

·                 A business start-up hub or small business venue.

·                 Capital schemes providing a long term benefit to the Borough, such as electric waste and refuse collection vehicles.

b)              Amendment to recommendation. Cllr Eber Kington proposed, and Cllr David Gulland seconded an amendment to the wording of the recommendation contained within the report. Following the amendment being moved, the Vice Chair proposed an alternative wording for the amendment, and this was accepted by the Councillor Kington prior to the Committee’s vote. The amendment was as follows:

“(1) Agree the interventions set out in Paragraph 2.16-2.19 of the report to be included in the submission of the Epsom and Ewell Shared Prosperity Fund Intervention Plan to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC).

(2) To consider the further recommendations made by the Strategy and Resources Committee for future submissions.”

Following consideration, the Committee agreed with 7 votes for, 1 vote against 1 abstention and the Chair not voting to:

(1)        Agree the interventions set out in Paragraph 2.16-2.19 of the report to be included in the submission of the Epsom and Ewell Shared Prosperity Fund Intervention Plan to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC).

(2)        To consider the further recommendations made by the Strategy and Resources Committee for future submissions.