Here's a summary of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and Rural England Prosperity Fund Board meeting held on 4 September 2025. The board reviewed a number of applications for funding from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund¹ and the Rural England Prosperity Fund², approving most but rejecting a request from Grantham College. The board also discussed updates to the Inspire Community Hub project.

Parish and Community & Decarbonisation Funds

The board considered a number of applications for funding under the Parish and Community Assets theme and the Decarbonisation theme of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. All applications were approved except for one from Grantham College.

Here's a summary of the projects that were discussed:

• Allington Playpark Project: £7,000 was approved for improvements to the children's play park at Allington Playing Field.
• Opening Up Billingborough: £5,000 was approved for refurbishment and accessibility upgrades to the main stage at Billingborough Parish Hall.
• Improvements to Parish Land, Carlby: £8,000 was approved for improvements to parish land in Carlby, including fencing, trees, seating, and play area levelling.
• Denton Play Area: £24,000 was approved to replace play equipment in the Denton play area.
• Community Arts Hub: £30,029 was approved for Grantham Arts to develop a creative space at Grantham House, in partnership with the National Trust³.
• Jubilee Mount Access - Harrowby: £5,000 was approved to improve path conditions at Jubilee Mount Memorial leading to Harrowby Hall.
• Refurbishment of The Shack, Recreation Ground, Stamford: £17,671.54 was approved for the refurbishment of The Shack at Recreation Ground, Stamford, including new windows, heating, lighting, and accessible toilets.
• New Kitchen for Centre use and working area for food Pantry – Butterfield Centre: £10,460.00 was approved to relocate and create new kitchen facilities within the Butterfield Centre.
• Children's Counselling Area: £5,000.00 was approved for the Wellbeing Centre in Grantham to construct a quiet and private space for children's counselling sessions.
• Our Community Matters – Jubilee Church Life Centre: £9,764.00 was approved to replace old air source heat pumps at Jubilee Church Life Centre.
• Entertainment and Sound System – Woolsthorpe by Belvoir Social Club and Village Hall: £7,550.79 was approved for entertainment equipment at Woolsthorpe by Belvoir Social Club and Village Hall.
• New Kitchen – Fulbeck Sports and Social Club: £12,800.00 was approved for a new kitchen at Fulbeck Sports and Social Club.
• Air Conditioning - Swinstead Village Hall: £7,998.85 was approved to install air conditioning at Swinstead Village Hall.
• Refurbishment of Changing Room Block – Recreation Road, Bourne: £34,900.00 was approved to refurbish the changing room facility on Recreation Road, Bourne.
• Inclusive Roundabout – Baston Village Hall Grounds: £15,775.93 was approved to introduce an inclusive roundabout to the Children's Play Area within the grounds of Baston Village Hall.
• Goalmouth Restoration: £13,565.34 was approved to restore the goalmouths at play areas in Black Bull Green and East End Park, Langtoft.
• The Spinney - Completing Major Site Refurbishments – Bythams Spinney: £11,069.80 was approved to replace the embankment swing and resurface the access route at Bythams Spinney.
• Jubilee Park, Deepings Construction Phase 1: Older Children's Play Area: £11,019.00 was approved for design work and tender preparation for a new play area at Jubilee Park, Deepings.
• Pointon and Sempringham Parish Playground Renewal – Stage 2: £23,000.00 was approved to enhance the play area with a climbing net and springers at Pointon and Sempringham Parish Playground.
• Energy Management - Long Bennington Village Hall: £25,000.00 was approved to enhance the solar paneling at Long Bennington Village Hall.
• Installing Solar Panels at the Ascension Community Hall: £5,360.00 was approved to install solar panels at the Ascension Community Hall.
• Bright Hall Initiative [BHI] – Heydour Village Hall: £18,971.53 was approved to improve the energy efficiency of Heydour Village Hall with solar panels and LED lighting.
• Dyke Village Hall Low Carbon Energy System: £15,000.00 was approved to replace the heating system at Dyke Village Hall with an infa-red electric heating system and solar panels.
• Installing of an Energy Saving Heating System at St Guthlac's Church: £5,098.00 was approved to install an energy-efficient infrared heating system and LED lighting at St Guthlac's Church.
• Solar PV 2025 – Walton Academy: £43,871.00 was approved to install solar PV panels on the roof of Walton Academy.
• Renewable Energy Installation – Caythorpe Playing Field Pavilion: £37,916.50 was approved for solar panels and battery storage at Caythorpe Playing Field Pavilion.
• Barrowby Green Canopy: £6,785.20 was approved for a tree planting initiative and picnic benches in Barrowby.

Grantham College Future: Forward Programme

The board considered a funding request of £75,000 from Grantham College for their Employability Skills and Support Programme. Councillor Lee Steptoe declared an interest in the item and left the meeting during the discussion. Despite a supplementary document providing further information, the board was not convinced that the outcomes represented value for money and voted to reject the funding request.

Stamford Indoor Bowls – Solar Energy

The board approved a funding request of £46,203 for solar energy improvements to Stamford Indoor Bowls Club. Councillor Harrish Bisnauthsing declared an interest as he was familiar with the club. The application had previously been before the board but required planning permission, which has now been granted. The Deputy Chief Executive and S151 Officer, Richard Wyles, stated that the organisation had strong links with the community and NHS rehabilitation services.

Skate Park – Wyndham Park

The board approved a funding request of £125,000 for the installation of a skate park on top of the existing basketball court in Wyndham Park, Grantham. Councillor Tim Harrison declared an interest in the item, spoke in support of it and answered questions from members, before leaving the meeting during deliberations.

Members were provided with a restricted pack detailing requests to reinstate a skate park in Grantham, gathered from surveys and comments over time, including those from schoolchildren. Councillor Tim Harrison and Richard Wyles, Deputy Chief Executive and S151 Officer, discussed the history of the project and addressed questions about maintenance and ongoing costs. It was agreed that the skateboard community would be responsible for keeping the skate park in good order.

Concerns were raised about future maintenance costs, particularly as Grantham Town Council was relatively new and yet to take over responsibilities from South Kesteven District Council. Richard Wyles clarified that short-term maintenance costs would be covered by Grantham's Special Expense Area budget⁴.

Deepings Community Centre Refurbishment

The board approved a funding request of £44,309 for the refurbishment of toilet facilities at Deepings Community Centre. Members reviewed plans and suggested exploring options for changing places facilities⁵ in the future, subject to funding availability.

Langtoft Pre-school

The board approved a funding request of £61,858 for internal and external improvements to Langtoft Pre-school, a council-owned facility run by a toddler group.

Dysart Park Tennis Court Improvements

The board approved a funding request of £32,120 for resurfacing the tennis courts at Dysart Park, Grantham. A board member and ward councillor spoke about the poor condition of the courts and their previous popularity. Concerns were raised about future maintenance costs and the allocation of funding to Grantham compared to other areas. Richard Wyles, Deputy Chief Executive and S151 Officer, clarified that maintenance would be covered by Grantham's Special Expense Area budget until discussions with Grantham Town Council could take place.