Research and analysis

Mid Wales UKSPF evaluation: interim findings

Updated 3 December 2025

Applies to Wales

Executive summary: Mid Wales interim findings

Introduction

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) provides a total of £3.5 billion of funding for local investment over 4 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 Mid Wales, based on research conducted between September 2024 and February 2025. It outlines the progress made to date and presents interim evaluation findings. Mid Wales covers the local authority areas of Ceredigion and Powys.

Key process evaluation findings

Intervention design

• The Mid Wales Regional Investment Plan (RIP) was developed using a synthesis of local wellbeing assessments, economic strategies, and informed by the Mid Wales Growth Deal, ensuring alignment with local needs, priorities, and opportunities across community, environmental, economic, and skills themes.
• Both local authorities used umbrella grant schemes to fund community based projects (such as capacity building and events activities) which enabled a more efficient way of funding smaller scale community led and business projects without the requirement of the full application process. Stakeholders felt this was an effective way of channelling funding to benefit hyper-local projects.

Portfolio implementation

• Each local authority established a UKSPF partnership, chaired by economy portfolio holders and including key sector representatives, to guide funding decisions. Dedicated delivery teams managed applications and monitoring locally and this structure meant each local authority had a high level of ownership and accountability over their allocations.
• Applications underwent multi-stage appraisal processes led by local authorities. Each authority adopted slightly different methods. Powys used independent assessors for consistency, while Ceredigion employed thematic scoring panels of officers with relevant expertise. Despite variations, stakeholders valued the robust scrutiny and trusted the overall process.
• The two different approaches to project appraisal presented challenges for projects that sought to deliver across the whole region as they were required to go through both processes.
• Both local authorities held inception meetings with all projects receiving funding. This provided a platform to onboard delivery leads, clarify reporting requirements, and connect project teams, which was a positive aspect of the onboarding process.

Intervention delivery

• The majority of projects were delivered internally by the local authorities themselves. Voluntary sector organisations, further/higher education institutions, and private providers also delivered projects, broadening reach and drawing on a wide range of local and regional expertise.
• Most projects (68%) were new rather than extensions of previous initiatives, demonstrating Mid Wales’ capacity for innovation and mobilisation within a short timeframe.
• Delivery challenges faced by projects included compressed timescales, cashflow issues arising from retrospective claims and recruitment difficulties (especially in rural areas and for Multiply projects).
• Successful delivery was enabled by experienced teams, strong local networks, clear project planning and utilising local partnerships.

Data collection and monitoring

• There were mixed experiences with the monitoring process. Whilst some project leads reported the process was straightforward, others felt reporting requirements were overly burdensome and some experienced delays in payments which caused challenges to some organisations.
• Most (81%) project leads valued the support from local authority officers. However, it was acknowledged that as the number of funded projects grew, capacity to provide support to projects was stretched.

Programme oversight

• The Mid Wales UKSPF regional team had overall responsibility for the delivery of the UKSPF in Mid Wales. They were responsible for reporting to UK government, and liaising with local teams and with other regional teams, such as the Mid Wales Growth Deal team.
• Local authority delivery teams worked closely alongside the local partnership to distribute their allocations and provide oversight of interventions in each local authority.
• The strong focus on spending of allocations and programme level weekly meetings, that provided an opportunity to discuss progress, share best practice and provide updates, were highlighted as two aspects of the programme oversight that worked particularly well.

Multiply

• Multiply commissioning in Ceredigion and Powys faced low demand due to misaligned programme design in relation to local needs and a shortage of training providers. This required proactive engagement from delivery teams, straining capacity. Despite the creation of a grant funding pot in Powys to support community-based delivery, demand remained low.
• 24 projects were commissioned including those led by local authorities, colleges, and voluntary organisations.
• Projects addressed diverse needs, from employability and sector-specific skills to parental support and functional numeracy. While successes were reported in engaging learners and tailoring approaches, challenges included competition among projects, recruitment and retention of staff, limited delivery timeframes, and logistical issues in rural areas.

Progress to date: expenditure, outputs and outcomes

Mid Wales was allocated a total UKSPF budget of £42 million across the three investment priorities and Multiply. The programme saw a slow start resulting in underspend during the first two financial years. This was primarily due to the delay in UK Government approval of investment plans in year 1 and the time needed to establish local authority processes, which hindered the ability to commit to and initiate projects promptly. At the time of reporting, the programme was making progress, with a strong focus on accelerating spending in the closing months to ensure the full allocation is utilised by the programme’s conclusion.

The Mid Wales programme had made mixed progress across the three investment priorities. Under Communities and Place, strong performance was noted in outputs such as new or improved cycleways, household support, and enhancements to green/blue spaces, with several other indicators also on track. However, outputs related to feasibility studies and completed projects lagged significantly behind target. In Supporting Local Businesses, most indicators, particularly support to enterprises, exceeded expectations, though progress on low-carbon infrastructure and enterprise readiness was slower. For People and Skills, early delivery was strongest in vocational licence support, while outcomes related to basic skills and qualifications remained limited. This was largely due to the funding for this investment priority only becoming available in year 3, meaning the progress being reported on only reflects three months of delivery.

Analysis of early outcome data reported in September 2024 indicates that while some targets have already been met or exceeded, others remain behind schedule, with many outcomes expected to materialise during the later stages of the programme or after the programme concludes.

Early impact findings

Stakeholders involved in the research to date commonly highlighted that for many interventions it is still too early to fully define impacts arising, given the relatively short time which has elapsed since they launched.

• Business growth and job creation: As of September 2024, the programme had created 58 jobs and safeguarded 58. In addition, 27 of the 43 project leads responding to the survey indicated their project had an impact on creating more high-quality jobs.
• Community Infrastructure: There has been good performance in relation to the number of people engaging in local activities (5692), reporting improved perceptions of events (2193) and increased visitor number (3716). As of September 2024, the programme had reported an increase of 335 users of facilities and amenities out of a target of 1321.
• Digital Skills and Infrastructure: Progress on digital skills and infrastructure has been limited, with no premises reported as having improved connectivity against a target of 93. While no formal outcomes were reported under interventions specifically targeting digital skills, survey feedback suggests some progress with 33 out of 45 projects reporting improving digital skills and reducing digital exclusion either to some or a large extent.

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