In March 2021, the government announced the creation of the UK Community Renewal Fund (UKCRF). This fund would provide £220 million to help local areas prepare for the launch of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund in 2022.
The government’s announcement included a list of 100 ‘priority places’, selected based on an ‘index of economic resilience’ designed by officials in the then Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government. York was not a priority area but was still able bid into this government funding. In total, City of York Council submitted 15 bids for the government to consider.
On 3 November 2021, the list of successful bids for the Community Renewal Fund was published. Two bids submitted through City of York Council were successful. These were:
- Archaeology On Prescription - £122,123 awarded to York Archaeological Trust
- Street Life - using York's historic High Streets as heritage catalysts for community renewal – £469,765 awarded to the University of York
These projects were originally set to be complete by June 2022, but due to a delay in Government funding this has been extended to December 2022.