Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to develop the application process, including the criteria and decision-making process for applications, for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, and when they will publish these details.

Government has committed to creating a UK Shared Prosperity Fund to succeed European structural funds and bind together the whole of the United Kingdom, tackling inequality and deprivation in each of our four nations. The UK Government can cut out bureaucracy and create a fund which invests in UK priorities and is easier for local areas to access.

The government understands the importance of this investment for people, business and places and will set out further plans for the fund in due course. Final decisions on the design of the fund will need to be taken after a cross-Government Spending Review. In the meantime, we will continue to work closely with interested parties whilst developing the fund.