A cash pot of more than £8million is up for grabs for promoters of projects across the county.

The money is government funding being made available via the South East Local Enterprise Partnership (Selep).

A total of £570m Local Growth Funding (LGF) has been secured by Selep from central government through the three rounds of LGF to date - allocated through a six-year growth deal running from April 1, 2015 to March 31, 2021.

So far, £561.6m has been allocated to 97 projects across the south east, leaving £8.3m still available.

Now Selep, the business-led organisation that champions the economic growth of Kent, Meday, East Sussex, Essex, Thurrock and Southend, has issued an open call for short term projects which support its strategic objectives, and which will see the remaining capital grant funding spent by March 2021.

Projects interested in accessing the funding must ensure they meet strict criteria if they hope to be successful.

That includes meeting Selep's objective to support economic growth, be able to deliver in line with legal requirements on the use of public funds and demonstrate high value for money.

A recent example of an LGF funded project in Kent and Medway is Strood Waterfront, where £3.5m is being spent on flood defence works ahead of the regeneration of the former Civic Centre and Strood Riverside sites, which will include 1,000 new homes, new businesses and public spaces.

Christian Brodie, chair of Selep, said: “Our area is seeing growth on a significant scale and we must ensure we have the homes, jobs and infrastructure in place to support that.

“As a LEP, we have been very successful in securing LGF funds and our aim is to ensure that money is used effectively and produces tangible results. Initially we are looking for projects to pick up unallocated funding and any that becomes available from underspend on current works.”

Applications will be evaluated through a three-stage process and anyone interested in discussing a proposal or looking for additional advice should contact Sarah Nurden at the Kent & Medway Economic Partnership, sarah.nurden@kent.gov.uk.

Closing date for expressions of interest is 5.30pm on Friday, August 31.

Futher information is available at southeastlep.com