The government has published guidance on the Welcome Back Fund, which is providing councils across England a share of £56 million from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) to support the safe return to high streets and help build back better from the pandemic. This funding builds on the £50 million Reopening High Street Safely Fund (RHSSF) allocated to councils in 2020 and forms part of the wider support government is providing to communities and businesses. This guidance builds on and replaces the previously published RHSSF guidance. The purpose of this guidance is to provide details of the activities that can be supported through the Fund and an overview of how it will be administered, as well as key ERDF contractual requirements.
