Businesses, charities and community groups in Stoke-on-Trent will benefit from nearly £4.5 million of new government funding.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council has been allocated the cash following the government's decision to extend the UK Shared Prosperity Fund for another year.

The money will be spent on providing continued support for a raft of projects aimed at improving neighbourhoods, providing residents with new skills and helping local businesses thrive.

Stoke-on-Trent was previously allocated £9.5 million over the first three years of the UKSPF, which was set up in 2022 to replace EU structural funds following Brexit.

Many of the schemes benefiting from the funding are run by the council itself, but other recipients include Staffordshire Chambers, Staffordshire University, the YMCA and Middleport Matters.

New projects for 2025/26 include the council's community wealth building scheme, which will set up a hub to support community enterprises and launch a credit union.

The council is also planning to spend £353,304 on heritage planning enforcement, which will see action taken in areas of 'significant concern' where derelict buildings 'negatively impact the heritage of the area'.

Other projects set to receive funding in 2025/26 include the City Centenary celebrations (£200,000), the Money MOT scheme run by Citizens Advice which helps people affected by debt (£200,000), and a programme of 'high impact' events in Longton town centre organised by Urban Wilderness (£74,000).

And the council will continue its investment and growth programme, which offers grants of up to £50,000 to help local business cover capital costs such as fixtures and fittings.

Four businesses have received grants so far, creating or safeguarding 29 jobs.

Council leader Jane Ashworth said: "This extra UKSPF funding gives us a fantastic opportunity to work with residents, businesses and community organisations to benefit the city as a whole and build on the work of the last two years.

"It is a mix of funding the continuation of successful ongoing projects, which are making a real difference, and providing a boost to a range of new initiatives."

Funding decisions are made by an investment board, made up of partner organisations and local MPs. External organisations receive funding in arrears based on evidenced spending.

As the 'lead authority', the council will be allowed to retain a 3 per cent management fee to cover its administration costs, which will equate to £179,069 in 2025/26.

Cabinet members will be asked to rubberstamp the decision to accept the UKSPF funding when they meet on Tuesday.

According to the report to cabinet, the funding will help residents 'secure better jobs, access welfare benefits, and manage debt', as well as supporting projects that will 'improve living standards and restore pride in public spaces'.

All the funding has to spent by March 2026, with any unspent money going back to the government. New funding arrangements are set to be introduced from 2026, with further details expected following this summer's spending review.

Here are the Stoke-on-Trent projects which have had their UKSPF funding bids approved for 2025/26 so far:

City Centenary Celebrations – Stoke-on-Trent City Council – £200,000

City Centre Master Plan – Stoke-on-Trent City Council – £100,000

City of Imagination (grant scheme aimed at boosting hospitality and tourism sector) – Stoke-on-Trent City Council – £145,500

Climate Change – Stoke-on-Trent City Council -£126,000

Community Wealth Building (creation of community enterprise hub and credit union) – Stoke-on-Trent City Council – £80,680

Culture and Heritage Development – Stoke-on-Trent City Council – £95,600

Developing and Co-ordinating Youth Provision – Stoke-on-Trent City Council – £80,000

Heritage Sustainability Programme (support for Ford Green Hall and Etruria Industrial Museum) – Stoke-on-Trent City Council – £92,000

Making Great Places (funding for public realm improvements and events) – Stoke-on-Trent City Council – £534,000

Place Marketing – Stoke-on-Trent City Council – £25,000

Small Community Events Grants – Stoke-on-Trent City Council – £25,000

Small Heritage Asset Grants – Stoke-on-Trent City Council – £25,000

Town Centre Heritage Planning Enforcement – Stoke-on-Trent City Council – £353,304

Your Hero Awards – Stoke-on-Trent City Council – £10,000

Animate 72: Arts Hub – B-Arts – £48,600

Building Financial Resilience – Citizens Advice Bureau – £200,000

Clay and Communities – British Ceramics Biennial – £50,000

Discover Middleport (heritage trail and green space activities) – Middleport Matters – £45,000

Longton Community Creation and Cultural Regeneration (a programme of large-scale, 'high impact' events in Longton town centre) – Urban Wilderness – £74,000

Safety and Cleanliness for Our City – Stoke-on-Trent City Centre BID – £70,928

Portland Inn Project Community Building – Portland Inn CIC – £95,000

Placemaking and the Arts – Canal River Trust – £25,000

Rediscover the Trent Valley Way – Trent Rivers Trust – £68,206

Stoke-on-Trent Investment and Growth (capital grant programme for local businesses) – Stoke-on-Trent City Council – £229,658

Start-up Space – Stoke-on-Trent City Council – £30,000

Promoting Innovation Pathways – Staffordshire Chambers – £134,720

The Inclusive Employability Hub – JET – £363,059

Family Learning Matters – Stoke-on-Trent City Council – £35,000

Stoke by Numbers – Stoke-on-Trent City Council – £276,525

DigitALL (enhancing digital literacy and providing devices to disadvantaged groups) – Wavemaker – £262,575

Higher Skills Accelerator – University of Staffordshire – £135,671

Support to Work – Disability Solutions – £65,997

Skills Hub – Staffordshire Chambers – £103,333

YES (support for young people around skills and opportunities) – YMCA – £244,721

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