The Rural Payments Agency has announced a £29m boost to improve jobs and growth in rural areas across the South West including Dorset and Wiltshire.
Rural businesses are being invited to submit expressions of interest for support under the Rural Development Programme for England. The programme supports projects that invest in building businesses, creating new jobs, and growing the economy in rural areas. Grants are available for:
- Business development
- Food processing
- Rural tourism infrastructure
The European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) – which is part of the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) – is funding the grants. A series of workshops are being arranged across the region. This will allow applicants the opportunity to talk to the Rural Development team and Local Enterprise Partnerships.
It’s a competitive, multi-stage application process. This comprises an expression of interest, a full application, and match funding. Improvements have been made to the process so applying for the funding is now much easier than in the past. The avalable funds have been split as shown below:
Heart of the South West
Heart of the South West breakdown of initial funds:
- £2.78m Business Development
- £7.54m Food Processing
- £2.08m Rural Tourism
Dorset
Dorset has been granted around £3m for rural businesses, including:
- £664,893 Business Development
- £1.2m Food Processing
- £380,000 Rural Tourism
Wiltshire
Wiltshire LEP breakdown of initial funds:
- £900,000 Business Development
- £1.39m Food Processing
- £1.1m Rural Tourism