UKSPF Projects in Action: 2025-26 Programme

The UKSPF funding will support a diverse range of projects across Harborough District, aimed at delivering tangible benefits to our communities. These initiatives are divided into revenue-funded projects, which typically cover service delivery and ongoing activities, and capital-funded projects, which involve investment in physical assets and infrastructure.

This theme focuses on initiatives for health, empowerment, employability, and volunteering.

• Healthy Communities: Utilising local waterways and open spaces to enhance community wellbeing through activities such as walking, cycling, and water sports.
• Empowering Communities: Fostering leadership qualities in communities and parishes to build resilient, inclusive, and volunteer-led communities.
• Employable Communities: Providing rural employability support and connecting employers with schools for work experience and placements.
• Volunteering Project: This will support volunteer-involving organisations, run district-wide promotional campaigns, and provide resources to strengthen volunteering as a pathway to meeting residents' needs, skills development, employment, and social connection.
• Mobile Community Information Vehicle: Establishment of a mobile community information vehicle to support wider council teams and projects in reaching residents across the district. This mobile information vehicle will provide a space for community engagement and support.

This theme includes projects aimed at climate impact engagement and rewilding.

• Climate Impact (including flooding) Engagement: To support communities, particularly rural ones, in understanding and preparing for flood events through stakeholder engagement, collaborative mitigation strategy development (including natural flood management), and educational outreach.
• Rewilding Harborough: To fund a new project management post, situated with the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust, to oversee the rewilding element of a wider scheme to enhance biodiversity and natural spaces on land purchased by the Council in the Market Harborough area (March 2025).

This theme supports business communities and the development of local masterplans.

• Supporting Business Communities: To offer advice (continuing the Leicestershire Business Advice Service - LBAS), events, and grants (for environmental improvements and innovation) to local start-ups and established businesses, driving innovation, sustainability, and profitability.
• Local Community Masterplans: To commission a series of community-led masterplans for up to four locations in the District with regeneration needs or growth potential (including Burford Green, Market Harborough), exploring elements like local economy support, physical activity, and community facilities with sustainable design.

This theme focuses on promoting heritage, local events, and district assets.

• Promoting the Visitor Economy: To boost tourism and celebrate local heritage through grant funding for heritage events (e.g., Heritage Open Days at the Symington Building), support for war memorial funding, local events (e.g., Arts Fresco, Creative Harborough, Lutterworth public realm launch events, ESG Event), and refreshed "Visit Harborough District" marketing materials.
• Gateway Art Installations: To enhance public spaces by collaborating with local artists and communities to create gateway art installations on selected roundabouts, reflecting local identity through community consultation on themes and locations.
• Welland Park Bell Tower Restoration: To provide additional funding for the ongoing restoration of the historic bell tower in Welland Park, Market Harborough, preserving this cultural landmark and ensuring its structural integrity.

This theme provides for engagement projects for the youth of Harborough District.

• Youth Engagement: To provide funding for a project chosen and delivered by the Harborough Youth Council, promoting youth participation in community development.

This theme covers enhancements to high streets and the public realm.

• High Street and Public Realm Enhancements: To provide a flexible fund to support a range of physical improvements to public realm and high street areas across the district, aiming to enhance these spaces, support local economies, increase footfall, and foster community pride.