SOUTH YORKSHIRE’S MAYOR PROPOSES MAJOR NEW DELIVERY FUND

Published 19 June 2025 at 11:53am

South Yorkshire’s Mayor Oliver Coppard is proposing a new Fund worth nearly £16m targeting key delivery priorities to improve the lives of people who live, work, and visit South Yorkshire: enhancing transport choice, improving health and the environment, saving lives by making our roads safer, boosting children’s literacy and promoting economic growth alongside championing our region.

The Mayoral Delivery Fund, which will be discussed at next week’s Mayoral Combined Authority Board AGM, would channel capital investment and revenue spending over the next three years into a number of programmes supporting delivery of the Mayor’s manifesto commitments.

South Yorkshire’s Mayor, Oliver Coppard, said: “I’m proud to be backing every part of South Yorkshire, making sure every community can stay near and go far through the new Delivery Fund.

“My focus is clear: delivering real results that improve people’s lives across the region. That’s why the Fund - worth nearly £16 million, is dedicated to making a tangible difference. It’s not just about numbers; it’s about investing directly in projects that will help build a bigger, better economy, offering us all the opportunity to be wealthier, healthier, happier and safer.

“I’m targeting what matters most - supporting our children to read better and live healthier, more active lives; tackling health inequalities so people live longer; safer roads by saving lives; and responding to climate breakdown including planting 1.4 million trees across South Yorkshire.

“I’m also investing more to promote our region, attracting investment, creating good jobs, and boosting tourism, as well as telling the story of South Yorkshire through cultural and creative projects. 

“The Fund is a crucial step forward in restoring the pride, purpose and prosperity that South Yorkshire deserves.”

Delivery priorities include £1.44m for health improvements. The funding will support partnership working with the NHS, councils and many others to tackle deep-seated health inequalities in South Yorkshire. It will take a place-based approach which addresses the wider factors that can contribute to health such as where people are born, live and work. The Mayor is the only Mayor who is the sole chair of an NHS Integrated Care Partnership, and the funding reflects his ambition to make South Yorkshire the healthiest region.

Delivering for children in South Yorkshire is also a priority. £2.55m will go towards improving literacy in pre-school children through a new programme called Every Child A Reader and reflects the Mayor’s passion for reading having worked for a national children’s reading charity.

£1.27m will benefit schools to help them make South Yorkshire the best place in the country to walk, wheel and cycle for children and encourage healthy and active lives. The investment follows the success of the Mayor’s Walk and Wheel Challenge for schools which saw 74 schools take part in its inaugural year last year with double the number taking part this year.

The Mayor’s commitment to delivering Vision Zero - a strategy to eliminate all traffic fatalities and serious injuries in South Yorkshire, will see £520,000 allocated to the region’s Safer Roads Partnership to help them continue to make progress in saving lives. 

£735k will help deliver the Mayor’s commitments on sustainability including delivering on the work of the Citizen’s Assembly on Climate Change and tree planting in line with the Mayor’s commitment to plant 1.4m trees in South Yorkshire. 

The Mayor is ambitious for South Yorkshire, securing more economic growth, jobs and opportunities by attracting national and international investors, promoting our cultural and sporting offer, and making the region a great place to visit for tourism.  Nearly £2m will help South Yorkshire tell its story, including investment in local and South Yorkshire wide creative and cultural projects showcasing our assets, opportunities, rich history and communities. While a further £2m will be invested in promoting and marketing our region to visitors, investors and government through campaigns and events, including an increased digital presence.

Building on the work the Mayor has done on transport so far, the Fund will also allocate £2m for the Transport Shelter Improvement Programme, improving the appearance and user experience of bus stops and tram shelters. A ‘test-and-learn’ approach will be adopted where user feedback will inform the roll-out of the improvements, putting the public first and restoring pride in public services.

Funding will also be used to improve South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority’s core capabilities including enhancing public consultation and engagement, research, data and insight and help prepare for new responsibilities coming under the English Devolution Bill.