£2 million of UK Shared Prosperity Funding to boost Wirral economy
Wirral is set to benefit from a further £2 million of UK Shared Prosperity Funding (UKSPF) as part of a transition year, following agreement by members at Wirral Council’s Economy, Regeneration and Housing Committee on 12th March.
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which first launched in 2022, is designed to support all regions across the UK in three core areas: Communities and Place, Local Business and People and Skills.
Wirral’s 2025/26 programme will mainly focus funding on the People and Skills and Supporting Local Business investment streams and will mean that existing partnerships with local organisations can continue to be delivered for a further year. This includes a 12-month extension of the Worklessness Support Service contract delivered by Involve Northwest, which is funded by UKSPF alongside a Public Health Grant. From 1st April 2024 to 31st of January 2025, this programme saw 432 people placed into employment.
Other activities outlined in the proposed 2025/26 programme including a continuation of the One Front Door Volunteering Programme, public realm and community safety interventions, an extension of universal place-based business support, further Youth Market events to support local young entrepreneurs and a wide range of programmes to help people into employment as well as offering recruitment and redundancy support.
Councillor Tony Jones, Chair of Wirral Council’s Economy, Regeneration & Housing Committee, said:
Over the past three years, the UK Shared Prosperity Fund has allowed us to support our communities, help local businesses to grow and invest in upskilling our residents. The additional funding now confirmed for the next 12 months gives us the opportunity to build on this foundation, working with brilliant local organisations to deliver programmes that will have a tangible impact – creating a more prosperous, resilient borough for us all.
Councillor Mike Wharton, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Cabinet Member for Business, Investment and Trade, said:
I’m delighted we’re able to continue to provide this funding for a further year, which will enable the city region’s local councils, including Wirral, to deliver a range of services and initiatives that benefit local people, though boosting businesses, offering training opportunities and supporting communities.
Launched in April 2022, the UK Shared Prosperity Fund provided £2.6 billion of new funding for local investment before March 2025 across all areas of the UK. For Wirral, this has meant delivering programmes that foster local communities and tackle crime and antisocial behaviour, the creation of new jobs and collaboration with local businesses, plus helping residents develop new skills that will increase employability, as well as reducing economic inactivity.
The government announced in October 2024 that UKSPF would be extended for a further 12 months as a ‘transition year’ – and the Autumn Budget allocated £902 million to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund nationally for 2025/26.
The funding allocation of £2,029,068 for Wirral is administered by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, from a total UKSPF funding pot of £25.7 million for the region. This represents a 29% reduction compared to the Council’s 2024/25 allocation but will still enable key existing partnerships to be continued into the transition year.
