Overview of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund 2025-2026

As announced in the Autumn Budget on 30 October 2024, the UK Shared Prosperity Fund will be extended for 2025-26 at a reduced level of £900 million.

• The Wrexham County Borough Council allocation is £7,608,591 (£5,499,417 – revenue, £2,109,174 – capital).
• The 2025-26 allocation can be used to support investment in activities from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026.

In addition to supporting the existing UKSPF three investment priorities (‘Community and Place’, ‘Supporting Local Business’ and ‘People and Skills’) the UK government has set out an ambitious plan for change. 

This plan focuses on 5 national missions:

• Mission 1: Kickstart economic growth
• Mission 2: Make Britain a clean energy superpower
• Mission 3: Take back our streets
• Mission 4: Break down barriers to opportunity
• Mission 5: Build an NHS fit for the future

The existing interventions have mapped into mission-led themes across the three priority areas. 

Shared Prosperity Fund: North Wales

The 2025-26 UKSPF allocation for North Wales will be £42,416,709.

Delivery of the UKSPF in North Wales

To minimise cost and complexity, local authorities in North Wales will work together to administer the UKSPF. However, all decisions on where the money goes will be taken locally in each area.

In Wrexham applications will be invited into our Wrexham fund through a 1 stage application process as detailed below.

Most of the money will be distributed through grants to support organisations to deliver projects which will make a real difference in local communities.  

The first opportunity to submit applications for funding is now open and will close at midday on 17 March 2025. Future opportunities to submit bids may be opened if funds remain available.

Local authorities will decide which projects will receive money, advised by a partnership of local stakeholders.

What the UKSPF will support

The objectives for each of three UKSPF Investment priorities - communities and place, supporting local business and people and skills - are outlined in the UKSPF Prospectus.

For Wales, the previous UKSPF interventions (excluding ‘Multiply’) are permitted covering the three investment priorities.

For 2025-26 the Multiply programme will not continue as a specific, ringfenced programme. Local authorities retain the flexibility to deploy their local allocation according to need, including a continuing ability to fund adult numeracy support alongside the wider suite of people and skills related activities.

To provide as much flexibility as possible, North Wales local authorities will permit applicants to select any of the listed outputs and outcomes (excluding ‘Multiply’) relevant to the investment priority / priorities their project addresses.

As well as demonstrating alignment with the UKSPF itself, projects seeking support in North Wales must:

• show how they add value to, and are integrated with, current and planned activity in the relevant field, avoiding duplication; 
• engaged with, and gained support from, relevant stakeholders within the field of activity and localities in which they will be operating;
• help in realising - or be aligned with - relevant regional and national policies and strategies; and,
• understand and address the needs of the local areas in which they intend to operate and help realise the relevant local priorities / strategies.

Relevant regional strategies and plans may include (not an exhaustive list):

Relevant local strategies and plans may include:

Important things to know

• The timescale for delivery of the UKSF is short; in practice, all projects will need to be completed and final claims submitted by March 31, 2026 
• All projects submitted must seek at least £50,000 up to a maximum of £700,000 of UKSPF funds.
• To enable local businesses, organisations and communities seeking smaller amounts of support to access UKSPF funds; most local authorities will be looking to establish local intermediary funds, providing a simplified application, approval and monitoring regime.  Information on these funds will appear on individual local authorities' websites as it becomes available.
• Although the UK Government has announced the UKSPF allocations for the period up to 31 March 2026, the funding is only confirmed on an annual basis.  The funding agreements provided by Wrexham County Borough Council to successful applicants will reflect this. Any applicant, committing to expenditure beyond the period for which funding is confirmed will do so at their own risk.
• Any application made into the Wrexham fund is subject to the lead local authority receiving the updated Memorandum of Understanding and grant determination letter, which is not expected until the beginning of the 2025/2026 financial year. 
• The eligible period for expenditure under the UKSPF begins on 1 April 2025.  Applicants may therefore include an element of retrospective expenditure within their applications.  Note that any expenditure incurred by applicants prior to signing a grant funding agreement will be entirely at their own risk.
• The UKSPF includes both capital and revenue funding.  Applicants can choose to submit applications for capital only project, revenue only projects or projects seeking a combination of both.
• Operating in compliance with the UK subsidy control regime which began on 4 January 2023, will be a key requirement for any project. All applicants should familiarise themselves with the requirements of the regime:

• Given the constrained circumstances for the delivery of the UKSPF, confidence in the deliverability of submitted proposals will be a key consideration for local authorities alongside the capacity and capability of applicant organisations.

Project selection

Reflecting the emphasis placed on local decision making by local authorities in North Wales; each local area will determine how they wish to select projects for UKSPF support.

However, common considerations will include:

• the alignment of proposals with UKSPF priority investments and interventions
• proposals' anticipated outputs and outcomes
• additionality and alignment of proposed projects with current and planned activity
• deliverability and the capacity / capability of the applicant (including awareness of legal and regulatory requirements)
• alignment with national, regional and especially local strategies, priorities and needs

Local areas will consider the overall mix of activities proposed as well as individual proposals to ensure the needs of their localities are addressed and the objectives of the UKSPF investment priorities are addressed.

As noted, local authorities will decide which projects will receive money advised by a partnership of local stakeholders. The views of key stakeholders within the area of activity a project seeks to operate will also be sought and considered.

Gateway criteria

Projects must pass all gateway criteria to be considered for selection:

• Is the application from an organisation eligible to receive UK SPF support? 
• Will the project be completed by March 31, 2026?
• Does the project address one of the investment priorities, themes and sub-themes identified in the UK SPF Prospectus? 
• Is the project strategic?
• Does the project have a value from £50,000-£700,000?
• Is it a large capital or infrastructure project?
• Is the project assessor aware of any duplication of provision?
• Does the project demonstrate that it will directly address, and have a meaningful impact on, the local priorities and UK Government missions?
• Has the project sufficiently demonstrated that it complies with Subsidy Control principles and requirements?
• Have any other issues been identified that would preclude the project from being implemented effectively or that would create a significant risk to the Council?

How to apply

Applications for funding will follow a one-stage process.

You will need to register an account for your organisation on MyAccount to be able to apply.

The application form will be provided through MyAccount, which allows you to save progress, upload evidence and submit your full application.

By submitting a full application, you authorise us (Wrexham County Borough Council) to make any necessary enquiries to check any information that is required for the administration of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund programme. 

The information you provide may also be shared with others as stated within Wrexham’s Key Fund Privacy Notice. 

The information you provide may also be shared with others as stated within the following privacy notice:

More information

For more information or to discuss your proposal please contact the relevant local authority / authorities and the Shared Prosperity Fund: North Wales Team if you're looking to deliver a project across more than one local authority area:

Wrexham - email: sharedprosperityfund@wrexham.gov.uk.