High Peak has been awarded £400,000 as part of the Government’s £110 million Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF).

Rural areas like High Peak are economically, socially, and culturally vital to our nation. They make up 85% of the land in England, are home to 9.6 million people, and contribute nearly £260 billion to the economy.

Local MP Robert Largan has long campaigned to ensure that funding commitments match those for rural areas previously provided by the EU-funded Rural Development Programme for England.

He was therefore very pleased receive reassurances from the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs that not only would this be the case, but that the REPF would be easier to apply to and better tailored to England.

This funding comes on top of the already announced UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which allocated £2.4 million for the High Peak.

This will help local authorities fund activities that address the particular challenges rural areas face. These include providing capital grants to support the development of rural communities and businesses, helping people start local businesses, drive growth and create employment opportunities.

Robert Largan, MP for High Peak, commented:

“I am very pleased to announce that the High Peak has been awarded a further £400,000 by the Government to support our rural areas.

“It is very clear that there are a unique set of challenges that rural areas like the High Peak face, but this funding demonstrates the Government’s clear recognition of that and matches our ambition to truly level-up the country.”