Communities across North Lanarkshire are set to benefit from £13.8 million funding from the UK Government's Shared Prosperity Fund.

The funding has been unlocked after Glasgow City Region's £73 million investment plan, which includes North Lanarkshire's proposals, was approved by the UK Government this month as part of its Levelling Up agenda.

Of the £13.871m approved funding, £11.475m will go to a range of improvement projects across the three priorities of communities and place, local businesses and people and skills, while £2.395m is ringfenced for delivery of adult numeracy activities through the Multiply numeracy skills programme.

Councillor Jim Logue, Leader of the Council, said: "Getting approval for our investment plan will mean that we can start working on a range of exciting projects that will ultimately create opportunities for people, local communities and businesses. 

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"The range of projects will help to improve people's core work skills, drive economic regeneration, energise social enterprise and importantly help people who have been plunged into poverty through the impact of the current cost of living crisis."

Projects will be developed that provide support and funding for a range of local businesses, including social enterprises as well as those that support, for example, active travel initiatives at key locations throughout North Lanarkshire. There will be funding for training and employability programmes to help people into employment and to improve skills in key sectors of our local economy, based on the priorities set out in our Workforce for the Future Strategy. A targeted element of the Shared Prosperity Fund will also seek to improve numeracy skills which will be delivered through the Multiply numeracy skills programme aimed at helping individuals with budgeting and managing their money.

The funding will be released over three years from 2022-2025 and next stages will be to finalise projects which will be delivered in-house, commissioned by the council or through grants and challenge funds to enable third-sector organisations, businesses and local groups to bid for funding.

Councillor Logue continued: "A clear priority for us is to provide support to those most in need, reduce inequalities and help people to improve their prospects. These projects will have a clear positive outcome for people and communities while providing businesses with the support they need to prosper."