Carlisle is set to benefit from £4 million funding over the next three years.
A plan created by the city council which sets out how the cash could be spent on projects has been approved by the Government.
The cash will come from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, part of the Government’s Levelling Up agenda.
Carlisle has, so far, been allocated £498,138 to spend during 2022-2023.
The funding will be allocated annually over the next three years up to March 2025, with the majority of funding available in the final year of the £4,104,659 programme.
Leader of Carlisle City Council John Mallinson, said: “This is another welcome financial boost for the city. Our officers have worked closely with Allerdale Borough Council and Copeland Borough Council to ensure the priorities of our three investment plans are closely aligned to enable delivery by the new Cumberland Council from next April.
“During preparation of our investment plans, we have consulted with a variety of partners and stakeholders through focus group sessions and an expression of interest survey. A local partnership group has also been formed made up of representatives from strategic organisations from across the local area.”
As part of Carlisle’s investment plan, the following have been selected for support in 2022/23:
Community and place
- Funding for improvements to town centres and high streets, including better accessibility for disabled people, including capital spend and running costs.
- Enhanced support for existing cultural, historic and heritage institutions that make up the local cultural heritage offer.
- Support for local arts, cultural and creative activities.
- Funding for the development and promotion of wider campaigns which encourage people to visit and explore the local area.
- Investment in community engagement schemes to support community involvement in decision making in local regeneration.
- Funding to support relevant feasibility studies.
Supporting local businesses
- Investment in open markets and improvements to town centre retail and service sector infrastructure, with wrap around support for small businesses.
- Funding for the development and promotion (both trade and consumer) of the visitor economy, such as local attractions, trails, tours and tourism products more generally.
- Business support measures to drive employment growth, particularly in areas of higher unemployment.
A Carlisle City Council spokesman said: “Due to limited funds and the requirement to deliver at pace, year one projects will be targeted at a limited number of specific schemes which have already been allocated funding.”
However, they added, an application process is available for projects that support local arts, cultural and creative activities or funding to support relevant feasibility studies.
All other projects will be asked to apply for years two and three early next year.
The closing date for submission of applications is Wednesday December 21 at 5pm by applying online at www.carlisle.gov.uk
