UK Shared Prosperity Fund
Growing spaces, growing networks, growing wellbeing
UK Shared Prosperity Fund Projects in Eastleigh
In 2022, Eastleigh Borough Council was awarded £1 million from the Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF). This funding has supported a range of successful projects and studies across the Borough that aim to reduce inequalities in people’s experience, and access to sustainable green spaces, including:-
- Together We Make Eastleigh - shaping the future of Eastleigh Town Centre and helping local businesses to grow and thrive
- Cycle Together Eastleigh - helping Eastleigh residents make cycling a part of everyday journeys
- A wider and more inclusive volunteering programme - helping to reduce social isolation and involving more people in improving local green spaces
- Food education and production - a community cooking programme that helps people connect, learn about healthy eating, and manage rising food costs, as well as support community organisations to provide and share food.
- Plant Eastleigh - working towards planting thousands of trees by 2030 (funded until 2024)
These projects form part of our wider environmental programme, ‘Growing Spaces, Growing Networks, Growing Wellbeing’, which is shaped by the Council’s Corporate Plan priorities: Protecting our environment and Shaping places.
The programme is inspired by our community. Through partnerships, local projects, volunteer groups and support networks, we aim to build pride in local areas, help reduce carbon emissions, and support people and businesses to play an active role in regenerating their communities.
As well as leading our own initiatives, we are also exploring Community Led Regeneration. This involves giving people the tools, knowledge and support they need to lead positive changes in their own neighbourhoods.
The programme is mainly revenue-funded and is designed to have a lasting impact. Data from audits, community engagement, research, and feasibility studies will help shape future policy, attract further funding, and improve the way we deliver services.
Looking ahead: Year 4 of Eastleigh’s UKSPF Programme
The fourth year of the programme continues to build on this approach, with a mix of new and ongoing projects that increase its reach and long-term impact.
A key new project is:
Play Together Eastleigh
Across the Borough, there are many play areas – but many are old or coming to the end of their life. New playgrounds are usually included in new housing developments, which means they’re often designed for small, specific neighbourhoods. As a result, they tend to be small and focused mainly on younger children.
This new feasibility study will review the current state of play areas across Eastleigh. It will look at their condition, age, and how they relate to local communities – including local demographics and nearby play spaces. The study will also consider how to widen the age range of those catered for, and how to create a Borough-wide strategy that gives better guidance to community groups, developers, and project partners when designing and building new play areas.
Latest news and progress
- 28 January 26: From Apprentice to Ranger: Daniel’s journey protecting Eastleigh’s countryside
- 15 January 26: Care home residents and students help shape new Eastleigh heritage murals
- 14 January 26: Celebrating our volunteers' contributions across the Borough
- 29 October 25: The rare Southern Damselfly can be found at Itchen Valley Country Park
- 15 October 25: Local college students help with Town Centre murals
- 29 August 25: nearly-300-families-engaged-with-local-food-education-programme
- 23 July 25: Key areas of transformation for Eastleigh Town Centre explored
- 24 June 25: Colourful new artwork installed at Eastleigh Bus Station
- 19 September 24: Have Your Say! Shape the Future of Eastleigh town centre
- 25 June 2025: CycleTogether Eastleigh wants to hear the needs of residents
- 16 May 24: We’re looking for our new partners to consult on Eastleigh town centre
- 9 May 24: Bursledon to benefit from newly refurbished community kitchen
- 25 April 24: Plant Eastleigh to recruit volunteer and community groups
- 5 April 2024: Hundreds of beautiful and key trees planted across the Borough
- 20 December 2023: Council urges residents to be a part of Plant Eastleigh
- 6 December 2023: Levelling Up projects in full swing across Eastleigh Borough
The primary goal of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund is to build pride in place and increase life chances across the UK through the delivery of a wide range of interventions that reflect local need and opportunity. The UK Shared Prosperity Fund prospectus
A three-year borough-wide Investment Plan was developed and approved by local MPs, and submitted by Eastleigh Borough Council in August 2022; successfully receiving its total allocation of £1,000,000 of ringfenced grant income. The allocation of funds is split across the funding period.
The UKSPF programme ‘Growing Spaces, Growing Networks, Growing Wellbeing’ is an environmental programme, built around the Corporate Plan Priorities; ‘Protecting our environment’ and ‘Shaping places.’ It is focused on reducing inequalities in peoples’ experience, and access to green spaces. Community is at the heart of the programme with each workstream providing opportunities for the Council to engage with residents and businesses.
The revenue funded programme has been designed to leave a legacy. Partnerships, projects, and social networks developed through the programme aim to encourage residents and businesses to take pride in their local community and reduce their carbon emissions. Information gathered through audits, mapping and community engagement activities will be used to inform the development of policies in the Local Plan review.
Measures to reduce the cost of living
- New Kitchen delivered at Pilands Wood
- Community Centre to support food education programme and community café facility, reducing social isolation.
- Food education cooking sessions for targeted groups, helping residents with affordable cooking, meal planning, nutrition, energy-saving tips, and reduce food waste. (Field to fork approach linked to local growing spaces)
- Local Food Production grants reducing inequalities in access to green space, whilst enhancing the environment and improving health and wellbeing; boosting physical and mental health and strengthening community bonds through ‘growing’. (Linked to developing volunteer programme)
Support active travel enhancements
- ‘Cycle Together Eastleigh’ auditing, mapping and promoting all existing cycle routes
- Increasing awareness of existing infrastructure and developing an understanding of gaps or missing connections so relevant organisations can plan infrastructure improvement projects more effectively for the future. (Linked to town centre improvement interventions).
Improvement to town centres and high streets
- ‘Together We Make Eastleigh’ is a community-led project aiming to revitalise Eastleigh Town Centre, through the engagement of residents, businesses, and visitors; using creative initiatives and co-creation, it aims to shape a vibrant, inclusive future for the town.
- Town Centre Art in residence to explore perceptions of Eastleigh town centre
Designing out crime
- Working with partners to develop a range of positive diversionary activities for young people, manage the Eastleigh Youth Partnership newsletter and targeted detached youth work.
- Contributed towards the refurbishment of Eastleigh Energy Youth Centre, the rebuild of the Freespace Skate Park, and Shaping the future of Eastleigh Town Centre.
Improvements to local green space
- Identifying parcels of land, owned by the Borough and Parish Councils, that are appropriate for tree planting.
- Contribution towards recruitment of ‘Plant Eastleigh’ Senior Rangers (and provision of suitable equipment and trees) to develop, manage and deliver volunteer community tree planting projects; reducing isolation and developing land maintenance skills
- Green space investment projects in deprived areas?
- Apprenticeships within the Country Parks and Countryside teams to support volunteers.
Two placement students from Sparsholt College within the Country Parks and Countryside teams.
Impactful volunteering and social action projects
- ‘Walk and Talk sessions’ - Funding to develop and facilitate nature-based walks in the Council's country parks and the south of the Borough to reduce isolation, as an introduction to more formalised volunteering.
- Volunteer sessions for Eastleigh College SEN gardening group at Lakeside Country Park to develop horticulture and life skills
- Funding for volunteer programme IT infrastructure
- Funding for an enabling vehicle for volunteer programme, ‘Plant Eastleigh’ and apprenticeships
- Feasibility Studies
Access improvements for Itchen Valley water meadows (Linked to Active travel enhancements)