Research and analysis

Gateshead UKSPF evaluation: interim findings

Updated 3 December 2025

Applies to England

Executive summary: Gateshead interim findings

Introduction

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) provides a total of £3.5 billion of funding for local investment over four years (2022 to 2026), with all places in the UK receiving an allocation via a funding formula. Local decision-makers work with their local communities and partners to deliver interventions under three investment priorities: Communities and Place, Supporting Local Businesses and People and Skills.

This interim report presents the emerging findings from the place level evaluation of UKSPF in Gateshead, based on research conducted between November 2024 and February 2025. It outlines the progress made to date and presents interim evaluation findings.

Key process evaluation findings

Intervention design

• Gateshead Council officers, with some support from external consultants, developed the investment plan using strong local evidence and the Thrive strategy. Due to tight deadlines they relied on their experiences of delivering European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) programmes, especially when developing the Supporting Local Businesses interventions.
• In year one many projects were continuations of previous Community Renewal Fund activities, effectively acting as pilots. Local stakeholders noted this approach was driven by condensed timescales for producing the investment plan. In years 2 and 3 open calls were used to encourage a wider range of intervention projects and allow delivery organisations to shape proposals. Local authority stakeholders reported that this approach worked well.

Portfolio implementation

• Two routes for commissioning were used: directly procured provision and open calls. Legal and Procurement teams supported the commissioning process. Challenges included securing timely input from core services and the need for dedicated resources.

Intervention delivery

• Projects were delivered either internally by local authority teams or externally through contracted delivery partners. In the main, suppliers were already known to the council.
• Overall, interviewees were positive about the skills and experience of those delivering interventions. Local authority stakeholders highlighted that organisations were typically successful in tendering because the organisation or team had the right skills and track record and could demonstrate their understanding of the communities they work with.
• Timescales were a recurring challenge, with delays in funding notifications and condensed delivery periods.
• Flexibility in reallocating funding and proactive management of delivery organisations were key enablers. One effective practice included Gateshead Council organising network meetings for delivery organisations, which supported signposting and reduced the possible duplication of service provision.

Data collection and monitoring

• A local system of reporting and performance management was implemented, involving quarterly performance reports. Delivery organisations generally found the process manageable, with support from the UKSPF Programme Team.

Programme oversight

• A UKSPF Programme Board and a dedicated UKSPF Programme Team were established to oversee delivery. The Programme Board provided strategic direction and final approval of intervention projects, while the Programme Team managed day-to-day operations, including commissioning, monitoring, and evaluation. The effectiveness of the Board arrangements will be a focus of phase 2 of the evaluation.

Progress to date: expenditure, outputs and outcomes

The total allocation of UKSPF for Gateshead was £12.56 million. Analysis of spend to date shows that there was a slow start, with only 2% of the allocated funding for 2022/23 used by the end of year one. This delay reflects the late notification of the award of UKSPF and the limited time to commission intervention projects and process claims. Underspend continued in years two and three, however, most projects are designed to run across both years; local authority stakeholders expect that all allocations will be spent by the end of year three.

Overall, strong performance has been seen in delivering the outputs. A number of targets have already been achieved for Communities and Place, including the number of events supported (183% of target achieved) and volunteering opportunities supported (244%). In the Supporting Local Businesses investment priority, there has been good output performance for the number of people attending training sessions, enterprises receiving non-financial support and number of entrepreneurs provided with support to be enterprise ready. For People and Skills projects delivering over a two-year period, it was not expected that output targets would have been fully achieved yet, however, there has been very strong performance in terms of the engagement and initial support outputs.

Monitoring data shows good progress in achieving outcomes. In Communities and Place, there is strong performance, with more than 200% of targets achieved in four of the outcome areas, with a particular notable increase in visitor numbers, 4298 achieved against a target of 130. In the Supporting Local Businesses investment priority, outcome targets have been exceeded for the number of jobs safeguarded (159%, 111 jobs), and the number of enterprises adopting new to the firm technologies or processes (152%, 41 enterprises). For People and Skills, good progress is being made towards achieving outcomes for engaging in support and job searches, these are positive measures that support the achievement of longer-term outcomes in employment and qualifications.

Early impact findings

More evidence is needed to assess UKSPF’s contribution to a number of the impact areas. At this stage of the evaluation, there is indicative evidence of positive outcomes related to the Supporting Local Businesses investment priority. Specifically, around new jobs and businesses created, supporting increased entrepreneurship, enhanced business investment and productivity, and increased innovation and adoption of new technologies within local businesses.

The outcomes and impact of UKSPF in Gateshead will be explored in more depth in the final evaluation report.