UKSPF 2023/4 Quarter 4 Update:
Officers have now completed our projects for year 2, with new project leads identified for year 3 expenditure, which includes the largest proportion of our UKSPF allocation. Year 3 will see new projects commencing to improve greening and lighting infrastructure and interactive outdoor equipment at Lockmeadow Entertainment Centre, along with continuing to support events in the Town Centre and our partnership with Heart of Kent Hospice to deliver the new Elmer Trail from July.
Year 2 projects and an update:
|
Intervention |
Project |
Detail |
2023/24 budget |
Amount spent: |
£ To be added to Year 3 |
Q4 Update: |
|
E6: Local arts, cultural, heritage & creative activities |
Project A - Building Pride in Place through promotion of the Town Centre and Events. |
Creative communities fund for local organisations and groups to support events |
£34,010 |
£34,000 |
£10 |
In year 2 we supported 22 organisations with a creative communities grant. A new round of grants will open in May 2024. |
|
Literature Festival |
£17,280 |
£17,277 |
£3 |
The event was successfully held in October and saw large audiences of all ages coming along to enjoy the wide variety of authors and workshops using town centre venues including Maidstone Museum, Archbishops’ Palace and All Saints Church. The festival will return in 2024. |
||
|
Iggy Sculpture Trail |
£61,010 |
£61,010 |
£0 |
The trail was officially launched by the Mayor in March and is supported by a digital trail app. |
||
|
£3,083 |
£3083 |
£0 |
Purchases of a set of temporary exhibition walls and 2 microphones have been completed. |
|||
|
Arts Carnival |
£20,000 |
£20,000 |
£0 |
The Arts Carnival, which was rearranged due to adverse weather, took place on Saturday 9th September. The next Carnival will take place in 2025. |
||
|
Partner for Elmer 2 |
£40,000 |
£40,000 |
£0 |
Contract has been signed with the launch expected July 2024. |
||
|
Project C- A Community Arts Hub & Maker Space |
Feasibility Study |
£5,260 |
£5,266 |
-£6 |
The final amended feasibility report was received in August with an MBC working group set up to action the results of the report. |
|
|
E8: Campaigns to encourage visits and exploring of local area |
Project A - Building Pride in Place through promotion of the Town Centre and Events. |
Advertising budget to promote events across all channels |
£12,480 |
£12,366 |
£114 |
Advertising budget has been used to promote events throughout the year. |
|
Borough Insight Events and Town centre focussed |
£30,000 |
£30,000 |
£0 |
This was spent on the Autumn edition of the magazine which was delivered to residents from October 2023. |
||
|
Promotional video for business and events in TC |
£5,000 |
£5,000 |
£0 |
This video promoted the use of UKSPF funds to support the Town Centre over the first two years of funding and is now available online. |
||
|
E9: Impactful Volunteering and/or Social action Projects |
Project B- A Safe and Attractive Town Centre achieved through Greening and Lighting |
An externally commissioned green Volunteering Project to Improve Town Centre Green Spaces, Increase Volunteering and Improve Wellbeing. |
£60,000 |
£60,000 |
£0 |
Five sites have been worked with 28 volunteers involved with 87 volunteering events. The sites are Maidstone Community Support Centre, Trinity House, Brenchley Gardens, Fairmeadow and planters in the Town Centre. This project will continue into 2024/25. |
|
Management Overheads |
£9,897 |
£9,897 |
£0 |
|
||
|
Total: |
£299,820 |
£299,699 |
£121 |
. |
||
|
£299,820 |
|
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In addition to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, we have received an allocation from the government’s Rural England Prosperity Fund. Following the distribution of £184,370 towards four successful bids for rural funding in 2023/24 a further 21 submissions have been received for funding in 2024/25. The panel conducted a review of submissions in February and awarded the remaining £359,920 to 11 bids from across the borough. These projects commence in April 2024 with progress to be closely monitored by officers to ensure all are completed by March 2025.