Following the announcement of successful bids to the UK Community Renewal Fund, Hertfordshire County Council and Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership have issued this joint statement.

Richard Roberts, Leader of Hertfordshire County Council and Chair of Hertfordshire Growth Board said:

“It is fantastic that Hertfordshire has secured funding for all five of the projects for which we submitted bids to the Community Renewal Fund. It is yet another demonstration of central government’s confidence in our ability to deliver for our residents by maintaining and strengthening our strong and growing economy, which is already a national and international hub for many industries including life sciences and film & television.

“Working closely with the Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership as part of the Hertfordshire Growth Board, this funding will be vital in continuing the work to give our businesses and people the best opportunities to fulfil their potential. We fully recognise the importance and significance of such funding, particularly to young people in our county, as it will make sure they have the chance to learn a wide variety of career-focused skills.

“As part of this, we are determined to deliver the right sustainable growth for our county, creating cleaner, greener and healthier communities in which our residents and businesses will thrive.”

Neil Rutledge, Deputy Chair, Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership and Chair of the joint HCC/LEP Appraisal Panel, which is responsible for assessing bids for new projects, said:

“We are absolutely delighted that Hertfordshire was successful in all five bids it put forward for the UK Community Renewal Fund. A 100% success rate is testament to the partnership approach adopted by the LEP and the County Council in Hertfordshire. This £3.26m funding will deliver a raft of measures to support people and communities most in need by piloting programmes and new approaches to drive innovation and productivity, champion local business and create employment opportunities within our key sectors.

“This additional funding adds to the £325m already secured by the LEP. At every stage of the process, Hertfordshire County Council drew on the LEP’s expertise in managing funding applications from appraisal, contracting and delivery phases for the fund locally. This joint success is even more remarkable given that Hertfordshire was not identified by Government as being a top 100 priority area for the UK Community Renewal Fund. This demonstrates not only the strength of the projects put forward but the vast knowledge and experience of those involved.”

The £220 million UK Community Renewal Fund will provide funding to help places across the UK prepare for the introduction of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. Contributing to the levelling up agenda by investing in people, places, businesses and communities improving everyday life across the UK.

Hertfordshire’s successful bids are:

• Building Back Better: Inclusive business support delivery for SME business support in Hertfordshire - £612,993
• Community Wealth Building Together - £715,673
• Driving creative innovation and culture-led regeneration through the film industry - £844,795
• Hertfordshire Opportunity Generator - £524,233
• STEM City - £565,175

Download the full list of successful UK Community Renewal Fund here.