From Helston to Scilly, where Cornwall’s £186m went

A derelict supermarket that now holds a GP surgery and a climbing wall. A machine that cracks 72,000 eggs an hour. A tin mine edging back towards life, and a listed town hall on St Mary’s being turned into a museum. Four years and £186 million later, Cornwall has been totting up what its share of the Shared Prosperity Fund actually paid for.

The results were set out in a report to the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Economic Prosperity Board at its final meeting on Thursday 15 October. Almost 1,000 projects have been backed across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, supporting businesses, skills and community buildings.

What the money did

The Government-funded investment was delivered by Cornwall Council through its Good Growth Programme. Programme spend between 2022 and 2026 came to £186.3 million, and that drew in a further £82.7 million in match funding (£46.5 million private and £36.2 million public), taking total investment to almost £269 million.

In all, 974 projects were supported, 191 through the main programme and 783 through delegated funds, delivered by 771 different businesses and organisations.

So far the programme has created 784 full-time equivalent jobs and safeguarded 590 more. More than 7,300 people have gained a qualification or completed a course, and over 4,400 enterprises have had business advice and other non-financial support. A further 519 enterprises received grants.

Some of the other numbers in the report:

• 505 enterprises adopting new technologies or processes, and 489 reporting improved productivity
• 143 new products brought to market and 72 new enterprises created
• 93,000 square metres of commercial space created or improved
• More than 3,300 economically inactive people engaging with keyworker support
• 177 community facilities or amenities created or improved
• 9,225 volunteering opportunities and 5,781 local events and activities supported
• 7.3km of cycleways and footpaths created or improved
• An estimated 38,528 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent reductions
• More than 1,100 households supported with energy efficiency, and over 400 properties better protected from flooding and coastal erosion

📷Helston Gateway, health centre

A supermarket turned GP surgery and climbing centre in Helston

In Helston, £2.95 million helped South Kerrier Alliance transform a derelict supermarket into The Gateway. The building now brings together a GP practice, youth facilities, creative spaces, a café and a climbing centre.

The project put around £1.8 million into local construction and supply businesses, and exceeded all its contracted outputs.

📷St Ewe liquid egg plant

72,000 eggs an hour at Grampound Road

At Grampound Road, St Ewe Free Range Eggs received £3.57 million towards a new liquid egg production facility capable of processing 72,000 eggs an hour.

The investment has supported skilled recruitment and new products for professional kitchens. The business is also exploring ways to turn eggshell waste into something useful for farming.

📷South Crofty, Bartles Foundry

Lithium, tin and tungsten

Good Growth money has also gone into Cornwall’s emergence as what the council calls a nationally significant critical minerals hub.

It has supported Cornish Lithium’s exploration for lithium, and awarded £4.19 million towards infrastructure for Cornish Metals’ planned reopening of South Crofty tin mine. It has also backed Cornwall Resources’ drilling and technical work at its Redmoor project, where tungsten, tin and copper could strengthen future domestic supplies.

📷Isles of Scilly Museum

A town hall becomes a museum on St Mary’s

On the Isles of Scilly, £3.4 million is supporting the transformation of the Grade II listed Town Hall on St Mary’s into a new museum and cultural centre.

It will give the islands’ collections a permanent home, along with an indoor venue for music and theatre and a community hall. The aim is to preserve Scilly’s heritage while creating a year-round attraction for residents and visitors.

Councillor Joel Williams, Chairman of the Council of the Isles of Scilly, said: “It has been great to see the Islands benefit from this funding. It has enabled projects both small and large to be delivered and has been a key enabler in achieving economic growth on the islands in what is a very challenging and unique delivery environment. We are very grateful for the investment on the islands that this funding has provided.”

Strings attached

From its launch in 2022, the programme built social, economic and environmental standards into every project it backed. Funding conditions turned those into action on carbon reduction, fair pay, skills, productivity and biodiversity. That included a requirement to pay the Real Living Wage, or commit to doing so by the time a project was complete.

An independent evaluation commissioned by the Government found evidence that the programme had contributed to increased business innovation, productivity improvements, employment outcomes and wider changes in behaviour. It said the Good Growth principles should be regarded as best practice, and their ambition kept up in future programmes.

Every funding decision was taken locally by the Economic Prosperity Board, made up of elected members from Cornwall Council and the Council of the Isles of Scilly, in line with the Good Growth SPF Investment Plan. Its three priorities were community and place, support for local businesses, and people and skills. The money came through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and the Rural Prosperity Fund.

What the council leader says

Councillor Leigh Frost, Leader of Cornwall Council, said: “Our Good Growth Programme has established stronger foundations for future economic growth throughout Cornwall and Scilly, from businesses investing in new technology to people gaining skills and communities bringing valued buildings back into use.

“Cornwall was putting Good Growth into practice long before it became fashionable, demanding that public investment deliver better jobs, wider opportunity and environmental change.

“We have demonstrated what Cornwall can deliver which is why we are seeking greater devolved powers and sustained investment to build on that progress. More local flexibility and longer-term funding would let us further connect business growth, skills and regeneration, creating opportunities for our residents while supporting national priorities.”

Leigh pointed to the £30 million Government-backed Kernow Industrial Growth Fund, which focuses on growing key sectors of Cornwall’s economy. He said the fact it was more than twice oversubscribed this summer showed Cornwall’s appetite for growth.

The money has stopped, the counting hasn’t

Financial delivery of the Good Growth Programme ended on 30 September. But projects will keep reporting their outcomes until March 2031, and the council expects further benefits to show up in that time.

Two investment funds backed by the Shared Prosperity Fund also carry on. Screen Cornwall’s £2.5 million equity production initiative supports film and high-end television, and the Beacon Fund backs ambitious early-stage businesses. Beacon will reinvest the returns from successful investments, so the original public money keeps working after the programme itself has closed.

📷South Crofty, Bartles Foundry

📷Isles of Scilly Museum

📷Helston Gateway, climbing wall