Saffron Walden MP Kemi Badenoch has welcomed more than £800,000 of Government investment to support local businesses and community organisations in Uttlesford.
The money is part of the £110 million Rural England Prosperity Fund. This fund is a top-up of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which Uttlesford has also benefitted from.
Eligible councils will begin to deliver on their plans in the coming weeks, and will receive the extra investment between 2023 and 2025.
Local projects in Uttlesford will benefit from the additional funding to help improve community facilities and support arts and culture to grow local tourism.
Agricultural businesses looking to expand their remit and rural businesses looking to launch or grow will also receive investment.
Mrs Badenoch said: "The Uttlesford district holds unique opportunities for growth and with the right investment and support we can harness that potential to create jobs, grow our local economy and support local organisations and businesses.
"I worked with Uttlesford District Council on their bid for this funding and will continue to support officers as the projects set to benefit local organisations progress.
"I look forward to sharing more information about the projects and seeing the benefits of this investment across the district."
READ MORE
- RideLondon-Essex sees riders of all ages and abilities enjoy 'amazing day'
- Uttlesford District Council welcomes Cllr Geof Driscoll as new chair
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund's aim is to give local leaders more say over the spending of funds in their area than previous EU funding for rural areas.
According to the Government, it aims to "deliver on the commitment to allow England to take back control of its own growth investment".
A statement on the Government's website explains the fund's purpose: "It is about levelling up opportunity and prosperity and overcoming deep-seated geographical inequalities that have held us back for too long."
The extra funding from the Rural England Prosperity Fund builds on the Government's commitment to 'level up' rural areas by delivering major upgrades to connectivity through Project Gigabit.
The project is a £5 billion programme designed to enable hard-to-reach communities across the UK to access fast, gigabit-capable broadband.
Since January 2021, the share of rural premises with access to gigabit capable connects has increased by 11 per cent.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here