Rural areas of Somerset, including Wells, will benefit from over £3.4m in funding over the next two years for new projects to boost economic growth across the county.

The government's Rural England Prosperity Fund provides capital development grants to rural communities and businesses for projects such as farm diversification, rural tourism, and community infrastructure such as electric vehicle charging stations.

Somerset Council has successfully secured £3,426,745 from the fund (which replaced a number of EU-funded LEADER schemes following Brexit) to be spent by the end of March 2025.

From May, businesses and communities in rural areas will be able to formally bid for portions of this grant, with more details to be announced in the coming weeks.

The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) defines rural areas in Somerset as those outside of the larger market towns of Bridgwater, Taunton, and Yeovil. It does not include the villages around Bath and Weston-super-Mare, which have received separate allocations (£427,943 and £442,617 respectively).

Councillor Ros Wyke, portfolio holder for prosperity, assets, and development, said, "We are delighted that our submission into the Rural England Prosperity Fund was successful. The £3.4m of funding will be used to support businesses and communities across rural areas of Somerset, including Wells.

"The aim of the fund is to enable the rural economy to move forward. Capital grants will be available to support investment in business innovation and growth, as well as community infrastructure. We are currently finalizing the application process and will formally launch the scheme in May.

"The allocation of funding will be aligned with our council plan and will address our priorities of making Somerset greener and more sustainable, while building towards an increasingly flourishing and resilient county."