Cotswold District Council has received a £764,292 allocation from the Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) to invest in rural communities across the district from now until March 2025.

Cllr Tony Dale, cabinet member for the Economy and Council Transformation, said: "I'm so pleased we've been allocated this funding after submitting our proposal to the Government last year. As part of our submission, we put out a 'call for projects' and received over 60 submissions. This indicated the nature of funding needs in our district.

"These funds are primarily aimed at helping our rural businesses and communities keep up with more urban areas, in particular relating to connecting more rural communities.

"As a rural district, it's only right that the government recognises the different economic needs of our businesses and communities. We have £191,073 to invest this year and £573,219 to invest the following year. I'm excited to see the difference this funding will make in our district!"

The REPF is a £110 million top-up of the UK Government's Shared Prosperity Fund, distributed to eligible rural authorities across the country. It provides capital funding to support activities that address the challenges rural areas of the district face. This includes strengthening the rural economy, improving productivity and enhancing opportunities for rural communities through developed infrastructure.

When applying for funding, the Council earmarked £410,000 of the funding for grants to businesses and £354,292 for community-related projects, made up of £100,000 for active travel, £150,000 for heritage buildings and £104,292 for grants to village halls and community buildings.

The funding is for capital projects only and applicants will have to contribute some matched funding for their application to be successful. Applications will open shortly.