Conservatives in South Gloucestershire have secured almost £1million in funding to help the area level up following a successful bid to Government.
The South Gloucestershire bid which has been awarded £969,000, is one of 477 locally led, innovative projects being recognised by the £200million UK Community Renewal Fund administered by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities, which is designed to help breathe new life into towns and villages across the UK.
Among the initiatives being funded through the successful bid put together by Conservative-run South Gloucestershire Council are:
• An “Investing in Skills” programme to support people into employment and equip them with the skills needed to thrive. This will include:
o A series of pop-up hubs on High Streets and in shopping centres, supporting the development of skills and employability at the heart of the community
o A retraining and upskilling programme to help over 50s return to employment
o Opportunities within the Council to enhance green skills, supporting local biodiversity and the Council’s Climate Emergency commitments
• An “Investing for Local Business” programme to support entrepreneurs, help create more local jobs and deliver wider benefits to the community. This will also see the opening up of the pioneering UMBRELLA digital network to SMEs in South Gloucestershire, connecting them with opportunities to test the latest technology before it comes to market
Cllr Erica Williams, Cabinet Member for Education, Skills and Employment, said: “I am delighted that South Gloucestershire has been successful in securing this funding, the highest amount for any bid in the West of England region, which will support a wealth of initiatives across our communities to level up and continue to thrive.
“The focus of this Administration to help our people, places, businesses and communities to Recover and Rise from the pandemic has been a golden thread through our work and by investing this Government funding into these fantastic initiatives, we will help local people to gain new skills and level up.”
Secretary of State for Levelling Up Michael Gove said: “We are levelling up in every corner of the United Kingdom, backing locally-led projects that will make a real difference to communities and help to deliver our net zero commitments.
“There is incredible talent spread right across our great country and this investment will unlock the opportunities to match.”
