COUNCILLORS have pledged to support a rural funding project that could give a £1.7m boost to the economy.

Weymouth and Portland Borough Council will give £1,700 per year from 2015 to 2020 to support the Southern Dorset Local Action Group, previously known as Chalk and Cheese.

The borough council’s contribution will help cover administration costs to ensure that funding from the European Agriculture Fund for Rural Development can be spent on local projects.

Economic development briefholder Ray Nowak said: “There is no guarantee but we could get back up to £10 for the local economy for every pound we put into it, which is a good deal.”

Programme manager Sarah Harbige said that Defra – which will deliver the funds to Local Action Groups (LAGs) on behalf of the European Agriculture Fund – will confirm at the end of November how much funding will be available.

It is expected to be around £3.4m, to be split across South Dorset, covering Portland, Purbeck, the rural outskirts of Weymouth and West Dorset, and North Dorset.

As Chalk and Cheese the group awarded grants worth £1.66m from 2007 to 2013 across the South Dorset area.

But an evaluation published in the group’s local development strategy for 2015 to 2020 found that there had been some issues with community involvement.

The report states: “There are perceptions of a lengthy application process, of frustration with community participation and of complicated claims procedures which have deterred applicants in the past and would do so in the future.”

Speaking after the management committee meeting where councillors agreed to support the project, Cllr Nowak said: “This is coming from their own evaluation so, although the process may have been cumbersome, they are now saying they will be a lot more focused on jobs, training and skills in the rural community. This will be of particular benefit to Portland, which is classed as a rural area, although there are parts of Weymouth which will also apply.”

As well as the annual fee to support admin costs, the borough council’s briefholder will sit on the group’s executive committee, which makes decisions on which applicants are granted funding.

Sarah Harbige said: “It is fantastic news that Weymouth and Portland Borough Council have decided to get behind this project.”