The Individual Cabinet Member and Officer Delegated Decisions meeting of Lancaster City Council on 30 September 2025 was scheduled to consider a report regarding the Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF). The report concerned delegating authority to the Chief Executive to finalise and agree on REPF awards. The report pack included a notice of decision regarding the grant awards.

Rural England Prosperity Fund 2025-26 Grant Awards

The meeting was scheduled to discuss delegating authority to the Chief Executive, Mark Davies, to finalise and agree on Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) awards for 2025-26. Councillor Mandy Bannon, Cabinet Member and Portfolio Holder for Communities, Well Being and Partnerships, was scheduled to consider a report outlining the proposed approach to awarding funding to projects that contribute to the delivery of the REPF programme.

The Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) is a government initiative that aims to support rural businesses and communities.

The report noted that Lancaster District is expected to receive £149,994 of REPF funding. The council submitted its forecast to the Lancashire Combined County Authority (CCA) in April, and the CCA then forwarded a Lancashire-wide forecast to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) for approval. The Lancashire Combined County Authority will act as the Accountable Body for the delivery of the fund in Lancashire.

The report outlined a proposal to consider applications based on two outcomes:

1) Award funding and begin implementation: projects which clearly meet the criteria and can deliver positive impact against the programme's strategic outcomes and outputs 2) Do not consider awarding funding: projects which are less well aligned to the criteria or strategic fit

For the Communities, Well-Being and Partnership portfolio area, the projects recommended for a funding award in respect of the Healthy, Safe and Inclusive Communities Theme were:

• Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) Leighton Moss Nature Reserve
• Hornby with Farleton Parish Council Hornby Play Area

The report considered two options: awarding REPF funding to the specified projects, or not awarding funding. The advantages of awarding funding included commencing delivery of the REPF project and its associated benefits to the district. The disadvantage was potential demands on the organisation of delivering the programme. The advantages of not awarding funding included the opportunity to consider other projects. The disadvantages included failure to deliver on the REPF programme.

The report stated that all REPF projects are required to be delivered in line with the Public Sector Equality Duty¹.