Southampton celebrates success of community projects backed by UK Shared Prosperity Fund

Southampton City Council has celebrated the achievements of local partners and community groups at a special event highlighting the success of projects designed to strengthen neighbourhood pride and social connection across Southampton.

The local authority has invested £217,326 into citywide organisations and community initiatives through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF).

Unlike previous funding programmes, the UKSPF has enabled communities to identify and shape their own priorities. In Southampton, this approach has encouraged creativity, strengthened partnership working, and delivered tangible benefits for residents, making it an important contributor to the government’s Levelling Up agenda.

The UKSPF is built around three core priorities: communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills.

Investment in communities and place has supported improvements to local infrastructure, green spaces, and cultural activities aimed at strengthening pride in neighbourhoods. Funding has also helped support small and medium-sized enterprises, encourage decarbonisation, and boost the city’s visitor economy.

In addition, programmes focused on people and skills have enhanced employment support and delivered initiatives such as the Multiply programme UK numeracy initiative, which helps adults improve their numeracy.

The programme has also delivered a range of Safer Streets initiatives to make communities safer and more resilient. These have included providing personal safety tools for university students, such as alarms and anti-drink spiking kits, as well as body-worn cameras for city welfare wardens. CCTV has also been installed in areas affected by antisocial behaviour, alongside investment in youth outreach work and street pastor patrols.

Beyond community safety measures and grant funding, the programme has supported a variety of workstreams across the city. These include helping economically inactive residents move into employment, supporting start-up businesses, and delivering neighbourhood improvements such as waste removal, fly-tipping enforcement and mobile CCTV.

Organisations that have benefited from funding and showcased their work at the event included Cross Culture Hub, Friends of Riverside Park, Friends of St James Park, Gig Night, Southampton Centre Ambulance Service, Southampton Sight, Street Pastors, Unity 101, Voice FM and Young Southampton.

Francesca Prior, Service Manager – Stronger Communities at Southampton City Council, said:
“It was great to be able to welcome partners to this event to highlight the difference we have been able to make through our combined efforts and the funding from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. We will continue to build on these achievements to ensure that we create a city where everyone can feel safe.”

Sarah Bogle, Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Growth and Skills at Southampton City Council, added:
“I’m delighted that the UK Shared Prosperity Fund has enabled us to invest in community projects that have had such a positive impact on our city. As a council, we are committed to creating a Safer Southampton, which is a priority in our City Plan. These projects are further evidence of our commitment to this pledge.”

The council says the success of these initiatives demonstrates how collaboration between local authorities, community organisations and volunteers can deliver meaningful improvements for residents while strengthening community ties across the city.