RURAL businesses and organisations across Wiltshire are encouraged to apply for European grants designed to boost rural employment.

Wiltshire Council is urging businesses to apply to the scheme, which is part of the EU and DEFRA funded Rural Development Programme for England, funded by the EU and DEFRA,and is the accountable body for the available £11m of funding, £6.2m of which will be public money.

This tranche of grants runs for five-and-a-half years until December 2020.

Fleur de Rhe-Philipe, Wiltshire Council cabinet member with responsibility for economic development and skills, said: “This is a really valuable wave of European funding and it’s vital that we get as much benefit out of it as possible in terms of new employment opportunities in our rural communities.”

Grants will be available to support the local rural economy in farming, micro and small enterprise employing fewer than 50 people (including farm diversification), rural tourism/the visitor economy, forestry, rural services, culture and heritage.

The application process is being administered by Local Action Groups, each with a board of volunteers assessing applications to make sure the money goes to those projects likely to create the most new rural jobs for the county.

The funds are expected to be divided into about 160 grants, with most less than £50,000.