The Folkestone and Hythe district received additional central government funding for 2025-26 through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and the Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF). This is a one-year extension of the original 2022-25 funding schemes.
F&HDC’s 2025-26 allocations are:
- UK Shared Prosperity Fund: £327,146
- Rural England Prosperity Fund: £171,402
Both funds have been updated with new themes to better reflect government missions and direct support under existing priorities. For more information go to the Government website.
A report presented to the council’s Cabinet in April 2025 detailed the chosen themes and sub-themes that the council will be supporting.
These include:
Improving health and wellbeing – Cost of Living
Home Essential Fund
- White goods provision - To supply replacement or new energy efficient items to households including cookers, fridge/freezers, washing machines/dryers and other items as appropriate.
Rainbow Centre – Mobile Pantry Service
- Expand the services provided working with community groups, organisations and volunteers to ensure surplus/donated food is available to enable increased opening hours and membership of the static service. Also to work creatively with the DFN and others to enable use of community gardens and allotments where possible to increase supply of fresh food.
- To continue the provision of the Money Advisory Service, providing money and debt management advice across Foodbank and Pantry locations within the Folkestone and Hythe district.
- Further develop the Garden Project, building on its success to date, providing opportunities for clients to learn new gardening skills, grow their own food, and engage in social interaction. The harvested produce can benefit clients and contribute to community initiatives (e.g., Community Fridge and pantry projects).
- To continue to deliver or work with those who can deliver cookery demonstration classes - identifying accessible & suitable venues with a kitchen & recruiting volunteer chefs linking this back to the pantry projects.
Community Hubs
To deliver a warm space from October 2025 to March 2026 for residents of the district including costs towards own utility bills and providing free/subsidised hot food (e.g. soup) and drinks to those attending the warm space.
To provide cost of living support for individuals in crisis through shopping, travel and fuel vouchers and support for urgent needs. To also signpost clients to additional services in the district.
Projects funded by UKSPF 2022-25
The council's £1 million investment plan approved in December 2022 was focussed on addressing poverty and financial exclusion. There are areas of significant deprivation in the district and the funding supported several projects helping residents.
Bed project
The council’s welfare team identified the need to support children and adults who do not have beds or suitable sleeping arrangements.
Providing beds and bedding ensure a better quality of sleep which assists in a child’s development and helps an adult’s work readiness. Not sleeping on the floor also reduces the heating required to stay warm at night.
Energy efficiency project
Ensuring that boilers are regularly serviced and white goods are working properly or replaced with up-to-date models reducing energy costs for residents.
This project supported greener solutions and energy efficiency, ensuring greater sustainability for the whole district and healthier homes.
Cost of living project
The council worked with voluntary sector organisations to address food poverty and other cost of living issues.
Building on the community support network developed during the Covid pandemic, the Council used funding to support organisations to extend the food bank provision. This was done through mobile and static services using existing food banks and the links created by community hubs.
Additionally, cookery classes were organised to enable residents to develop skills in how to eat healthily on a low budget and reduce food waste.
Supporting local business
During the funding programme the Council looked into providing support for local areas to fund skills needs. Work was undertaken with local businesses to identify skills shortages.
Additionally, green skills courses were targeted to ensuring the district has a skilled workforce to achieve the government's net zero and wider environmental ambitions.