Improvements made to Broughton Astley village centre thanks to funding

The works follow Harborough District Council’s allocation of £2,172,095 over the next three years from the Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund. This funding has been allocated against three key areas: communities and place; support for business; and people and skills.     

Works in Broughton Astley that have been completed so far include: the removal of metal guards from around mature trees; the removal of old signage which is out of date or worn; the installation of a temporary window vinyl on a vacant shop; and the treatment of wooden street furniture, including timber bollards on Green Road island.

Other planned improvements include: the fixing of car park street columns; pruning and clearance of the car park area near a bus stop; removal of concrete bases from a mature tree; and the installation of a new bench on district council land near to the Orchard Road Car Park. Seasonal lighting will also be installed in large trees in the village centre subject to approval from the county council.

Similar improvements will be made in Fleckney, Kibworth and Great Glen over the next two years using the council’s allocation of the UKSPF.

Cllr Phil King, Leader of Harborough District Council, said: “It’s excellent news that the council is able to use some of its funding allocation for improvement works to the larger village centres in the district. I hope that local residents and businesses will benefit from these improvements and that they contribute to a real sense of pride of place, and support communities to deliver a prosperous local economy -  two of the four priorities in the council’s corporate plan.”

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is a central pillar of the UK government’s Levelling Up agenda and provides £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025. The Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills.

For more information, visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-shared-prosperity-fund-prospectus