Research and analysis

Richmond upon Thames UKSPF evaluation: interim findings

Updated 3 December 2025

Applies to England

Executive summary: Richmond Upon Thames 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 Richmond Upon Thames, based on research conducted between December 2024 and March 2025. It outlines the progress made to date and presents interim evaluation findings.

Key process evaluation findings

Intervention design

• Richmond Council adopted a collaborative approach to intervention design and leveraged existing data, relationships, and stakeholder input to select activities This strategy of building on existing strengths proved largely successful and ensured intervention design was informed by a good understanding of local needs.
• The depth of stakeholder engagement varied across the three investment priorities, with more limited local involvement in the ‘People and Skills’ strand due to the centralised role of the South London Partnership (SLP).
• The selection processes demonstrated flexibility in responding to local needs, however, the People and Skills strand revealed tension between pan-London and sub-regional objectives and the Council’s desire for borough-level innovation, with targets and diversity criteria that often did not reflect Richmond’s unique demographic and economic context.

Portfolio implementation

• Richmond Council had mixed success engaging suppliers across the three UKSPF intervention areas. Clear criteria and communication helped attract providers for Community and Place. However, People and Skills faced challenges due to centralised decision-making and limited borough-level input. For Supporting Local Businesses, engagement with new suppliers was constrained by short timelines, modest funding, and competition from pan-London projects.
• Richmond’s efforts to ensure value for money were generally appropriate, and contractual mechanisms were largely effective in driving supplier performance. However, there was limited evidence of mechanisms to address external barriers to outcomes.
• Overall, the Council’s implementation was facilitated by its use of existing programmes, strong local knowledge, and flexible approach, despite this it faced several challenges, including delays in funding and guidance, compressed timelines, and administrative burdens.

Intervention delivery

• Richmond Council’s implementation of UKSPF interventions has been largely successful, achieving or exceeding mandated targets across all areas, indicating a strong likelihood of achieving desired outcomes and impacts.
• Delivery challenges included funding and guidance delays that compressed project timelines, rigid output metrics and extensive data demands that created an administrative burden, difficulties reaching economically inactive residents, and refurbishment projects that did not fully address underlying socioeconomic disparities.
• Richmond Council effectively utilised existing strengths by enhancing existing programmes and tailoring interventions to specific local needs, while its commitment to strong partnerships with delivery organisations ensured programmes were tailored and delivered effectively.

Data collection and monitoring

• The Council’s systems and processes were largely effective in ensuring timely data collection by ensuring clear reporting requirements, regular progress meetings, standardised templates, and payment incentives tied to data provision.
• This proactive approach helped ensure timely and accurate data collection from delivery partners. However, changing guidance on data requirements, especially the introduction of business identifiers and EDI data, created significant administrative burdens for Richmond and its delivery partners. This also hindered Richmond’s ability to fully demonstrate the reach of its interventions.

Progress to date: expenditure, outputs and outcomes

Richmond received £988,000 in core UKSPF funding for 2022 to 2025, with the GLA directly allocating funds for Community and Place and Supporting Local Business interventions, and the South London Partnership managing the ‘People and Skills’ funding.

Community and Place received the largest share of UKSPF funding (almost £600k), However, this was insufficient for the planned infrastructure upgrades at the Landmark Arts Centre and Grove Gardens Chapel, and additional funding was required. People and Skills funding was primarily used for staffing to expand existing services, and Supporting Local Businesses leveraged additional funds, such as the cost-of-living fund, to enhance programmes like ‘Greening Your Business.’

Community and Place met targets for tourism, culture, or heritage asset improvements and significantly overachieved in supporting volunteering opportunities.

Supporting Local Businesses surpassed initial output targets for enterprises receiving non-financial support and assisting potential entrepreneurs, though challenges were noted regarding data collection and attributing outcomes solely to UKSPF funding.

People and Skills interventions, led by the South London Partnership (SLP) and Ingeus, mostly met or exceeded output targets for engaging economically inactive individuals and supporting people to gain employment, but faced difficulties in meeting targets for programme starts due to difficulties identifying suitable participants.

Early impact findings

• The Community and Place intervention in Richmond successfully revitalised community assets, achieving 100% of outcome targets for accessibility, footfall, engagement, and energy efficiency, though further evidence is needed to assess quality of life improvements.
• People and Skills interventions have expanded employability support, exceeding targets for job searching and employment, with anecdotal evidence of increased beneficiary confidence.
• Supporting Local Businesses interventions show progress in job creation and new enterprises, with positive impacts on business support uptake and promising signs from the ‘Greening Your Business’ programme, but longer-term impacts on resilience and environmental sustainability require further assessment.

The outcomes and impact of UKSPF in Richmond Upon-Thames will be explored in more depth in the final evaluation report.