Dash for cash as Brexit U-turn puts £400,000 EU fund back up for grabs

A £1.2M pot of EU support for New Forest businesses has been reopened to share out the remaining funds after it was shut down by the government in advance of Brexit.

The New Forest Leader Programme has awarded about £800,000 since it launched three years ago but the remaining £400,000 was briefly closed to new applications amid uncertainty over leaving the EU.

The cash is aimed at supporting small to medium-size business in rural areas, such as farmers and foresters, as well as countryside community organisations. It also covers parts of the southern Test Valley and southern Wiltshire.

Now it has been unlocked by the government to allocate the leftover funds – with a rush of applications expected before the 28th February deadline for expressions of interest.

The news was announced by Gerald Lewis, chair of the New Forest Leader Local Action Group, who urged people to act fast to take advantage of the change of policy.

He explained: “The UK government had originally anticipated that the award of Leader grants would cease in tandem with the Brexit deadline of 29th March 2019 – and earlier this year the Leader programme was closed to all new applicants.

“However, I am very pleased to be able to confirm that we have now been given approval for an extension to the programme, which will enable us to continue to assess new projects and award grants beyond next March until such time as all of our available funding has been committed.”

Among companies to have won Leader funding recently was Tiptoe-based wholesale nursery Agrumi Ltd. Its topiary has been displayed in places ranging from Glastonbury music festival to Paultons Park in the New Forest.

Agrumi director Stanley Jackson described the £45,000 awarded in November as a “game changer” that would be spent on a new topiary workshop and create two new jobs.

But Mr Lewis warned the remaining funding would not be available for long and there would be competition to take advantage.

He said: “Given the cumulative value of currently approved expressions of interest combined with the recent response that we have received from potential new applicants, we anticipate that our funding could be fully committed early in the New Year.

“In this final phase of the programme, our Leader grant budget is a small and steadily diminishing pot – so if you have an approved expression of interest and are currently preparing a full grant application, we strongly recommend that you do not delay in submitting it.”

The Leader programme can grant funding of up to 40% of the investment cost for commercial projects, up to a maximum award of £75,000.

The minimum grant amount that can be applied for is £5,000. Applications must be approved before the project can start.

To find out more go to www.newforestleader.org.uk.