Research and analysis

North Wales UKSPF evaluation: impact and value for money findings – executive summary

Updated 28 August 2026

Applies to Wales

Introduction

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) was launched by the UK Government in April 2022. It provided £2.6 billion funding for local investment by March 2025, with an additional £900 million available for 2025-26. Local decision-makers worked with their local communities and partners to deliver interventions under three investment priorities: Communities and Place, Supporting Local Businesses, and People and Skills. UKSPF empowered places to identify and build on their own local strengths and needs, with a focus on enhancing community pride and increasing life chances. The North Wales programme was allocated £126.6 million of UKSPF funding between 2022-2025.

North Wales comprises six local authorities: Anglesey, Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Gwynedd, and Wrexham. It is geographically diverse and spans coastal, rural, and industrial communities. The area faces persistent socio-economic challenges related to skills shortages, ageing demographics, and connectivity gaps. There are however economic opportunities in the area linked to natural assets and emerging green industries.

Key impact evaluation findings

The UKSPF programme in North Wales was designed to respond to the challenges and opportunities in the region by strengthening community resilience, supporting business decarbonisation, and improving skills. The evaluation explored how UKSPF interventions have contributed to addressing these priorities and the extent to which they have enhanced community pride, environmental sustainability, and life chances.

Empowering communities and enhancing the voluntary and community sector

The evaluation found that refurbishing facilities and improving infrastructure leads to an improved perception of local areas. UKSPF-funded upgrades to community facilities and public spaces have visibly improved local environments, shifting perceptions from neglect to pride. Large capital grants delivered immediate and tangible improvements, such as new community halls and sports hubs, while smaller grants supported incremental changes. These impacts were achieved through grassroots engagement and the flexibility of the Key Fund mechanism, which enabled local groups to prioritise assets most valued by their communities.

The support provided by the North Wales UKSPF programme has led to increased volunteering opportunities through capacity-building support and Key Fund grants. These support mechanisms led to voluntary organisations being better equipped to recruit volunteer coordinators and strengthen their internal governance. This created sustainable volunteering roles and attracted new volunteers, even amid post-COVID declines. The key success factors were tailored coaching, involvement of County Voluntary Councils (CVCs), and the accessibility of Key Funds for smaller groups embedded in their local communities.

The UKSPF support in North Wales has also led to expanded community capacity and activity. Organisations used grants to improve infrastructure and diversify services. This resulted in an increase in community-led activities and events. Training and one-to-one support enhanced organisational resilience, and the improved facilities enabled new income streams to voluntary organisations and grassroots groups. A key success factor was the way in which local delivery partners leveraged deep community knowledge to ensure new activities reflected local needs.

Decarbonising North Wales

The evaluation found that UKSPF support for decarbonisation contributed to increased innovation among North Wales businesses. The investment enabled businesses to adopt new technologies and processes, including energy monitoring systems, digitalisation, and waste reduction. Grants were complemented by expert advice and feasibility studies, which laid the groundwork for future product development. Success factors included access to specialist expertise (such as AMRC Cymru), tailored support to individual business needs, and collaborative networks that helped firms overcome technical and financial barriers.

The evaluation also found that UKSPF support provided the foundations for carbon reduction, although measurable savings remain modest and will take longer to fully emerge. The interventions helped businesses progress in their decarbonisation journey by developing carbon reduction plans, installing low-carbon technologies, and implementing operational changes. These early steps were facilitated by advisory support and flexible grants, which built capacity for long-term decarbonisation in line with regional net-zero ambitions.

Improving basic, digital, and “soft” skills

The evaluation found that UKSPF interventions contributed to enhanced confidence and life skills among participants. The support provided was bespoke and wrap-around, including one-to-one mentoring and tailored development plans. This personalised approach helped individuals overcome structural barriers to the labour market such as anxiety, low self-esteem, and lack of digital skills. This led to participants building their confidence, resilience, and practical life skills, which helped them move closer to training and employment.

The evaluation also found that UKSPF support helped participants gain essential qualifications and improve employability. Flexible learning opportunities enabled individuals to achieve maths, IT, and vocational licences. This type of support was provided alongside holistic support such as childcare and financial assistance. The tailored support packages aligned to the needs of each individual helped to remove practical barriers to participation. These interventions improved career prospects and supported progression towards work, although attribution is shared with other regional programmes. Success was underpinned by personalised goal-setting and strong local partnerships.

Key economic evaluation findings

The UKSPF programme in North Wales demonstrated High/Adequate value for money across the 4Es framework.

• Economy - High: The programme achieved strong economy through competitive procurement and open-call processes that attracted a high volume of applications. This ensured a high quality of funded projects and cost-effectiveness. Selection was led by the local authorities ensuring the highest quality projects most aligned to local needs were selected.
• Efficiency – High/Adequate: Efficiency was generally strong and was underpinned by proactive monitoring and dynamic reallocation of underspend to optimise delivery. There were however structural constraints related to limited integration with other funding streams. The existing funding landscape in North Wales added complexity and reduced potential for maximum efficiency.
• Effectiveness – High/Adequate: The programme delivered most planned outcomes within budget and aligned well with regional priorities, particularly in Communities and Place and People and Skills investment priorities. Some long-term business support outcomes underperformed, reflecting the relatively short programme timescales and the inherently longer-term nature of some of these outcomes. Overall, the breadth and scale of achievements demonstrate effective use of resources to meet local needs.
• Equity - High: Funding was distributed to underserved communities and grassroots organisations, contributing to inclusivity and addressing local priorities. The Key Fund mechanism was particularly successful in enabling smaller organisations to access grants for the first time. This promoted equitable access to funding across North Wales.

Key learning

The following key learning and lessons have been identified, which will support design and delivery of future local growth funds:

• Combining regional coordination with local-level decision-making worked well. It balanced strategic coherence with responsiveness to local needs and ensured strong community ownership.
• The Key Fund mechanism was highly effective in enabling grassroots organisations and smaller groups to access funding for the first time. This promoted inclusivity and widened local impact.
• Short programme timescales created significant delivery pressure, limiting ambition and reducing opportunities for cross-boundary projects. Future programmes should allow longer lead-in and delivery periods.
• Financial support combined with technical expertise and capacity-building drove success in business decarbonisation and innovation. This mix enabled businesses to adopt low-carbon technologies and processes.
• Holistic, wrap-around support with personalised goal setting was critical for helping individuals overcome multiple barriers to employment and training.
• Proactive monitoring and flexible reallocation of underspend enhanced value for money and ensured resources were used efficiently.
• Embedding data-sharing agreements and consent processes from the outset is essential for robust evaluation and beneficiary engagement.