August 25, 2016 12.41 pm This story is over 91 months old

See which Lincolnshire County Council projects received £22m EU funds

Lincolnshire County Council projects over the last decade relied on over £22 million in funding from the European Union. A Freedom of Information request by Lincolnshire Reporter following the Brexit vote has revealed that the authority’s job creation schemes, infrastructure developments, and tourism projects received millions of pounds in support from the EU. The Teal Park…

Lincolnshire County Council projects over the last decade relied on over £22 million in funding from the European Union.

A Freedom of Information request by Lincolnshire Reporter following the Brexit vote has revealed that the authority’s job creation schemes, infrastructure developments, and tourism projects received millions of pounds in support from the EU.

The Teal Park business park off the A46 near Lincoln was the largest beneficiary of EU money in the period between 2007 and 2013, receiving over £2.5 million.

Other projects which benefited from significant EU money included the Grantham Business Innovation Centre (£1,546,408), the Deepings Innovation and Enterprise Centre (£499,962), Kesteven Mews (£470,022), and the regeneration of Skegness Interchange (£449,201).

Other projects with Lincolnshire County Council involvement received EU funding, such as the University of Lincoln’s Lincoln Engineering Hub (£1,190,000), Bishop Grosseteste University’s Sky Centre (£1,100,547), Nene Marine’s Sutton Bridge Marina redevelopment (£376,090.58), and Lincoln BIG’s paving the way to Lindongate scheme (£402,498).

In addition, almost £9 million has been allocated to the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), a part of which was used to fund small-scale renewable and broadband infrastructure improvements in rural areas.

Also, the European Regional Development Fund provided more than £1.6 million to Lincolnshire County Council and BT for the superfast broadband rollout in the county.

Teal Park off the A46 in Lincoln, the latest industrial and commercial development in the city

Teal Park off the A46 in Lincoln, the latest industrial and commercial development in the city

However, funding for the period between 2014 and 2020 is more unclear due to the UK’s vote to leave the EU.

Lincolnshire overwhelming voted leave, with Lincoln having the highest Remain vote at just 43.1%.

As previously reported, Greater Lincolnshire applied for £130 million from the current EU funding programme which runs from 2014 to 2020.

This breaks down into £68.3 million in European Regional Development Fund money, a £45.56 million European Social Fund grant, £8.7 million from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, and more than £6 million in LEADER funds.

Applications for funds are now in the process of being appraised but the UK’s momentous decision to vote to withdraw from the EU has cast doubt over any incomplete bids.

Councillor Colin Davie, Executive Member for Economic Development at Lincolnshire County Council and a Vote Leave campaigner, said: “I think because there has been a slowdown and a hold in the process for the last few months, there may be some projects that slip through the net.

“But we in Lincolnshire are really good at finding new ways of delivering benefits for our citizens and getting new projects up and running.”