To seek cabinet approval to submit the Rural England Prosperity Fund (RPF) Addendum (Appendix A)to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) Investment Plan to government on 30 November 2022. Government has allocated Herefordshire £1,705,669 of RPF, subject to the submission, and approval, of an Addendum.

That:

a)    Cabinet approve the submission of the Herefordshire Rural England Prosperity Fund Addendum to government, in order to secure up to £1,705,669 of funding for the county;

b)    Authority to make any final technical amendments to the Addendum submission is delegated to the Corporate Director for Economy and Environment following consultation with the Cabinet Member for Economy and Environment;

c)     Should the Addendum be approved, the Council agrees to be the accountable body for the implementation of the RPF allocation and the resulting projects; and

d)    Authority is delegated to the Chief Executive Officer and the Section 151 Officer to formally submit the bids by the 30 November 2022 deadline.

1. Do nothing – The council could choose not to submit the RPF Addendum to Government by 30 November 2022 deadline. However, this would result in the council being unable to access the £1.7m of capital funding allocated to the county, which is critical to supporting the rural

economy of Herefordshire. This option is not recommended.

2. Alternative priorities in the Addendum – the council could choose to submit an alternative range of projects to those in the Addendum (as set out in Appendix 2), identifying different priorities for the county. As required by the national guidance, the Addendum has been developed against a clear evidence base, in consultation with rural partners and agreement with the Herefordshire Sustainable Growth Strategy Board (HSGSB). Alternative options may not meet Herefordshire’s rural needs and priorities and are unlikely to meet the Government’s requirements for approval. This option is not recommended.

3. The council could choose not to be the accountable body for the funding. There is no other suitable organisation in the county to fulfil this role, so it is likely that Herefordshire would not be able to access the funding. This option is not recommended