Grant funding still available to local Banbury area organisations from the Government

Grant funding is still available to local Banbury area organisations from the Government during the ongoing economic growth and recovery from the Covid pandemic.

Local organisations are being invited to bid for a chunk of £220m worth of grant funding from central government to encourage economic growth and recovery from the pandemic.

Oxfordshire County Council in partnership with the city and district councils is managing the application process for the UK Community Renewal Fund in the county and seeking bids from organisations.

Previously such funding would have been directed from the EU. However now that the UK has left the EU the Government has set up the new UK Shared Prosperity Fund and the grant funding now available is a prelude to that.

Oxfordshire County Council’s Chief Executive Yvonne Rees said: “There are real opportunities here for local organisations to get substantial national help in building for their future and contributing to the vibrance of Oxfordshire’s and the nation’s future.

"We encourage people to have a good look at the potential for a bid and the rules and regulations. If businesses and other organisations think a bid may help them then we look forward to hearing from them before the deadline at the end of May.”

Interested organisations from the business, further education, voluntary and community sectors are encouraged to look at the UK Community Renewal Fund Prospectus and the UK Community Fund Technical Note for Project Applicants and Deliverers before starting work on a bid.

The prospectus provides detailed information on the objectives of the fund, the types of projects it intends to support and how it operates, including the process and selection criteria that will be used to assess bids.

Successful UK Community Renewal Fund bids will be for 2021/22 only and activity must end in March 2022.

Key points are:

Projects must deliver against key local growth priorities, please speak to your local council to confirm suitability.

Projects put forward must be completed by 31 March 2022 and must be deliverable, efficient and effective.

Applications must be in line with the Government Prospectus, using the application form on the following web link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-community-renewal-fund-prospectus/uk-community-renewal-fund-privacy-noticeThe deadline for applications is 5pm Friday May 28 to [email protected]

More information can be found on the county's website https://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/council/about-your-council/council-tax-and-finance/council-funding-and-spending/community-renewal-fund