James Sunderland welcomes the allocation of £1.6 million to Bracknell Forest Council and Wokingham Borough Council as part of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

The fund has three key areas of focus;

• Communities and place: This is mostly aimed at improving community infrastructure and investing in neighbourhoods, for example by improving town centres and reducing crime;
• Local businesses: Improving both the numbers of jobs and the productivity of existing businesses, for example by providing investment in small businesses, creating opportunities for networking and collaboration, or helping to upgrade to energy-efficient technologies;
• People and skills, the largest part of which is the Multiply programme to promote adult numeracy. Other aspects could include employment support programmes, adult learning, or other skills provision.

James said:

“I will be taking an interest in the local projects that this money is used to fund and I look forward to working with local leaders on seeing them realised.”