UK Shared Prosperity Funding for Front Street
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) is a UK government-allocated fund which is intended to reduce inequalities between communities.
In December 2022, Central Government approved the council UKSPF allocation of £5.8 million to spend over 3 years to March 2025 in line with an investment plan that was created in summer 2022.
The ‘Communities and Place’ investment priority of this plan includes £1.1 million for improvements for town centres and high streets, to be split across projects in York city centre and the secondary shopping areas of Acomb and Haxby.
In Acomb, the UKSPF funding was initially used to deliver highway improvements to Front Street, and crucially avoided any underspend or claw back on unspent funds, enabling improvements to the attractiveness and performance of this key retail area.
The phase 1 highway improvements on Front Street address some of the needs identified in engagement feedback undertaken by the consultants in 2021 and by Ward Councillors, including:
- repairing the uneven pavement and damaged drainage
- addressing illegal parking
- improving the rundown appearance
In October 2023 the council's Executive allocated a further £570,000 of UKSPF funding to Phase 2 improvement work on Front Street.
The overall aim of the project is to improve footfall and experience for all users, by improving public space and its accessibility.