Melton Borough Council has been awarded £400,000 from the Rural England Prosperity Fund. This is a new Government fund created thanks to lobbying by Alicia alongside members of the APPG for Rural Business and the Rural Powerhouse, of which Alicia is an active member.
DEFRA is not prescribing how each Local Authority should spend their share of the £110 million fund enabling Melton’s local Councillors to use their knowledge of the community when portioning out the money.
Alicia Kearns, MP for Rutland and Melton and Member of APPG for Rural Business and the Rural Powerhouse said:
“I am thrilled that Melton Borough Council has been awarded £400,000 from the Rural England Prosperity Fund. I have worked hard to lobby the government alongside members of the APPG for Rural Business and the Rural Powerhouse and I am pleased that our efforts have paid off. I’ve long argued that Rutland and Melton have the potential to become rural powerhouses and we must focus on levelling up our rural way of life. This funding recognises the unique strengths and challenges of rural communities like ours and this money provides a welcome boost for Melton’s businesses, agriculture and local infrastructure.”
Cllr Joe Orson, Leader of Melton Borough Council said:
“We are pleased that the Government has recognised the distinct nature of rural areas and to have been allocated additional funding through the Rural England Prosperity Fund to support rural businesses and communities. The work we have already done to identify needs across our communities means that we have a strong evidence base to identify key capital projects through which we can improve quality of life for our communities and support increased productivity and growth within our local economy through this funding. We will share further information on our plans as they are developed.”
