Stafford Borough businesses encouraged to take up council support offer - and they will need to act fast
Small businesses in Stafford Borough are being encouraged to take up support from council projects being funded by the Government.
Stafford Borough Council has received more than £1.5m as part of the final year of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), alongside more than £146,000 from the Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF), but the money must be spent by the end of March 2026.
The authority has allocated some of the funds towards boosting leisure services and tackling climate change in Stafford. Other resources are available to help local businesses, from grants to help enterprises be more sustainable or assist entrepreneurs to get started, to workshops and training schemes.
At the latest borough council cabinet meeting, Councillor Ant Reid, cabinet member for economic development and planning, highlighted the range of support available. He said: “So often small businesses which can quickly succeed when new, and where the owners are using their existing skills, can falter or stall after a few years when the owners find they don’t have the time to work out what they don’t know.
“Our programme seeks to help small businesses in several ways. Please encourage small businesses to take up opportunities to look at their enterprises from a new angle.”
Deputy council leader Rob Kenney also backed the schemes. He said: “It’s essential we continue our support for businesses throughout the borough, especially throughout these testing times.”
This year’s UKSPF money follows an original allocation of £4,673,295 to Stafford Borough for 2022-2025. The borough council was also awarded £487,936 from the REPF over the same period.
Councillor Reid said: “This Government grant scheme is administered locally and has helped many community groups and businesses across the borough over the last few years. It targeted investment in the social and economic fabric of our borough.
“For this coming year we have drafted a list of potential projects to work on across the borough. Besides direct business support, we are investing in leisure and parks, skill building and communications, which includes events information to make the most of our town centres as well as our key heritage sites.
“We’re proud to include substantial investment in some net zero climate change projects. We’ve all experienced the impact of rapid climate change and these projects will both build resilience and reduce environmental impact across our borough.”
For more information on business support available, visit https://www.staffordbc.gov.uk/business-support.
