The Government has announced a new £60m grant scheme for rural entrepreneurs. Under the scheme, rural businesses can apply for individual grants which could range from £25,000 to more than £1m each. The objective is to support the businesses in increasing competitiveness and profits.
Successful applicants will receive up to 40% of the cost of projects. There are five areas it is anticipated the scheme will support which are farm competitiveness; agri-food; tourism; forestry and micro enterprises such as digital media technology and small scale, high value manufacturing.
Applications for grants are now being accepted and further information is available at: http://rdpenetwork.defra.gov.uk/funding-sources/rural-economy-grant
This announcement is part of a broader £165m Government package to unlock the economic potential of our rural areas.
Henley MP, John Howell, said:
“This is a rural constituency. There are approximately four times as many people living in small and medium sized rural villages here than in towns. So I welcome this appreciation that we need to foster a growing and robust rural economy
“So often in my constituency surgeries I have small rural businesses asking where they can go to get additional funding. This is a new and welcome avenue I can now suggest to them. It is further proof of how the Government is investing in our rural economy, supporting our countryside and driving growth in rural businesses.”
