Decision details

To award £105,700 in Levelling Up Partnership funds to the Lincolnshire Community Foundation for the purpose of distributing delegated grants to community facilities, village halls and Parish Councils in Boston Borough.

In line with the Levelling Up Partnership Scheme’s Investment Plan agreed with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, an allocation of £90,000 was approved for this purpose within the District’s Investment Plan, which has since been augmented through an underspend allocation. This decision to formally enter into contract for these funds and to deliver the Scheme in Financial Year 2025-6.

The funding will act as a ‘top up’ to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and Rural England Prosperity Fund investment of £176,619 into the Scheme agreed through the District’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund Investment Plan and the Leader decision made in April 2025 (see supporting papers below) to support re-contracting the Scheme as part of the agreement of the District’s UKSPF and RPF Investment Plan in April 2025. The grants will ensure that at least an additional four community facilities will receive capital grant aid to support renovation and in so doing, will support the development of new community facilities in Boston Borough.

To award funds to the above recipient in line with the agreed Investment Plan for the Community Organisations package within the Boston Levelling Up Partnership Programme.

Do nothing – Doing nothing would risk the Council not meeting commitments made under the Levelling Up Partnership Scheme Investment Plan, resulting in the realisation of an underspend on the Programme. The resultant underspend may have to be returned to Central Government, resulting in a loss in investment in Boston. This would pose both a reputational risk to the Council and would be a ‘missed opportunity’ in terms of local growth/economic impact.

Similarly, this would result in a missed opportunity to make a series of vital investments in community facilities in the Borough. The 2023-5 LCF GRASSroots Programme delivered nearly £500,000 worth of investment to 25 community facilities across Boston Borough and this investment builds upon that successful model to deliver for more community facilities locally.