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Bolsover Council is continuing to invest in its businesses and communities as it is making £427,884 available as part of a rural fund grant scheme.

The fund will provide capital funding specifically aimed at supporting new and existing rural businesses to develop their products, services and facilities to help improve productivity and strengthen the rural economy and rural communities.

It is aimed at supporting activities that specifically address the particular challenges rural areas face and will provide capital funding to:

• Support rural businesses to develop new products and facilities that will be of wider benefit to the local economy. This includes farm businesses looking to diversify income streams;

Rural businesses and communities are encouraged to explore growth potential.

• Support improved community infrastructure, providing essential community services and assets for local people and businesses to benefit the local economy.

The scheme has two elements to it:

Smaller scale investments and/or equipment up to £20,000 with an intervention rate of 80 per cent;
Larger capital investments of up to £75,000 with an intervention rate of 70 per cent, to support, for example, building conversion.

Coun Steve Fritchley, council leader, said, “Businesses across Bolsover district are still struggling and are looking for ways they can improve their prospects or diversify into new markets, which includes our important farming community. This funding will help that process and we’re inviting them to apply.

“Developing our rural businesses and economies is a key priority for us. And with this in mind it’s appropriate that the money will not only be used to improve prosperity and a renewed focus on creating a greener approach to how they operate, but will also support infrastructure projects in our towns and communities, and act as a catalyst to further rejuvenation and investment.”

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Businesses are invited to complete an expression of interest form – see selfservice.bolsover.gov.uk/service/Expression_of_Interest_Bolsover_Rural_Fund – by May 19. If approved by the grants panel, a full application would then need to be completed.

Rural areas are defined as towns, villages and hamlets with populations below 10,000 and the wider countryside and market or ‘hub towns’ with populations of up to 30,000 that serve their surrounding rural areas as centres of employment and in providing services – which covers the entirety of Bolsover District.

This project is funded by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Rural businesses and communities encouraged to explore growth potential