New projects to boost Wirral’s high streets and improve the environment are among those projects getting underway thanks to a major grant to support local communities.
In recent years Wirral Council has secured substantial ringfenced funding to deliver its ambitious Left Bank regeneration programmes.
Now the authority is able to build further on this having secured an additional £1,532,553 funding with more to come betweeen 2022-2025 from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) which was set up to provide financial help to improve areas across the country.
In Wirral the UKSPF funding is already supporting many projects ranging from helping local communities becoming more green, tackling crime and antisocial behaviour in key locations plus providing activities for local young people and bringing forward new ways of encouraging volunteering and social action.
It is from a total funding pot of £44m Shared Prosperity Fund for the Liverpool city region which is administered by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA).
Projects have included helping with green infrastructure improvements in the council’s regeneration priority areas such as tree planting plus adding wildflower sites at Tower Grounds, New Brighton, and Mersey Park, Tranmere, and with more to come later in 2023.
Other funding is focused on measures to tackle crime and antisocial behaviour with additional CCTV, lighting, fencing and alleygates, while there will also be support for creative sector organisations to deliver activities in the community to support the regeneration of the Left Bank. This will include contributions to Wirral’s Borough of Culture year 
which takes place in 2024, building on the waterfront animation delivered at the ventilation tower to support the Eurovision programme in May 2023. The Borough of Culture will aim to showcase and enhance the borough for residents and visitors, as well as involving more local people in creative activities.
Grants are also being used to provide support for young people including a range of leisure pursuits including bowling and mountain biking, and has so far seen activities put on during Easter holidays and May half term, with more planned up to end of March 2024.
The strengths and opportunities on Wirral’s high streets will also be identified with an action plan to boost local businesses and raise their profile and a major new campaign to encourage shopping local will be starting later in the year.
In addition, a youth market programme to provide young entrepreneurs with a platform to showcase their goods and services is already well underway and the market event is due to take place at the Cherry Tree Centre in Liscard this summer – applications were opened recently for young entrepreneurs to apply
Chair of the Economy, Regeneration and Housing Committee, Cllr Tony Jones, said, “This funding will aims to make a real difference to people’s lives right now while we also work on the wider regenereration of the area. For example the grant will help us deliver activities for young people, support local arts and heritage including Wirral’s year as Liverpool City Region Borough of Culture, and help us give our high streets a real boost.”
Image: Wirral Council
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