Carbon emission funds reassigned after low take-up

A council has redirected more than £40,000 from a carbon emissions fund due to low take-up, instead using the cash for small business productivity grants.

Rotherham Council said it had seen "lower-than-expected demand" for its fund, aimed at helping small firms reduce their emissions.

The cash, from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, will now be offered to help small and medium businesses create jobs and improve operations.

Council assistant chief executive Jo Brown said the low-carbon fund "continues to have difficulties in committing grants, whereas the productivity project has a strong pipeline of applications that can complete quickly".

Individual businesses can apply for up to £7,500 from the fund.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the grants can be used for a variety of purposes, such as purchasing new equipment or implementing systems like customer relationship management software to improve efficiency and staff productivity.

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