Wirral secures further £2m from UK Shared Prosperity Fund with a focus on people, skills and ‘supporting local business investment streams’. Tony McDonough reports

Small businesses in Wirral will benefit from a £2m Government cash injection.

Wirral Council has secured the funding from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) which was first launched in 2022 and which the authority has already received cash from.

It 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 people and skills and supporting local business investment streams 

This will mean that existing partnerships with local organisations can continue to be delivered for a further year, including a 12-month extension of the Worklessness Support Service contract delivered by Involve Northwest.

Other activities outlined in the proposed 2025/26 programme include a continuation of the One Front Door Volunteering Programme, public realm and community safety interventions.

There will also be 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.

Cllr Tony Jones, chair of Wirral Council’s Economy, Regeneration & Housing Committee, said: “Over the past three years, the UKSPF 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.”

READ MORE: Local Plan to provide thousands of Wirral homes

READ MORE: Liverpool Airport to triple size of executive lounge

Launched in April 2022, the UK Shared Prosperity Fund provided £2.6bn 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.

Funding allocation of £2m for Wirral is administered by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, from a total UKSPF funding pot of £25.7m for the region.