Additional Shared Prosperity funding confirmed for Winchester district following successful 1.7 million cash injection
The government has confirmed an additional year of Shared Prosperity funding for Winchester following the city council’s successful allocation of £1,745,000 to district organisations over the last three years.
The additional funding, totalling £327,146, is being made available to spend on projects that help support city council priorities throughout the district until April 2026.
The last three years of funding has seen a total of 57 projects supported through the government’s UK Shared Prosperity and Rural Prosperity funds, with the schemes’ match-funding element generating an additional £1,688,245 of private investment – making for a total of £3,433,000 of district investment so far as a direct result of the programme.
20 of those projects have helped to tackle the climate emergency – for example 11 solar panel projects have been funded, including those at community centres in Colden Common, Denmead, Easton, Sutton Scotney and Upham, and seven EV charging stations have been installed across the district.
280 residents are also currently set to gain qualifications in alternative energy installation and digital communications through a variety of workshops being delivered across the district by the city council and its partners.
The local tourism sector has also seen a boost, with 22 businesses working in the visitor economy receiving funding to support their work, including two of the district’s popular education exhibition centres, Marwell Zoo and the Winchester Science Centre.
Speaking about the funding, Cabinet Member for Business and Culture Cllr Lucille Thompson said:
“The shared prosperity funding we’ve directed into the district’s communities over the past three years has been of huge benefit, and I’m really pleased we’ve been able to make full use of it to kickstart valuable climate change projects, bolster visitor attractions and support our local businesses - all of that goes a long way to uplifting our vibrant local economy.
“Following the government’s confirmation of further funding, I’m really delighted that we now have the resources to support even more projects and I’m excited to see what will come forward over the year.”