A total of 75 areas will each receive up to £20million in funding over the next decade to help revive high streets, youth clubs, parks and libraries, the government said
Angela Rayner has said she is taking inspiration from the late John Prescott as she rolls out a funding pot of £1.5billion for communities across the country.
A total of 75 areas will each receive up to £20million in funding over the next decade to help revive high streets, youth clubs, parks and libraries, the government said. Under the “plan for neighbourhoods”, the selected areas will all have a local board set up – including residents – who will get to decide how money is used.
Writing for The Mirror the Deputy PM Ms Rayner said: “It was in a conversation about his [John’s] legacy that he gave a response that’s stuck with me since. Look at what we did by all means he said, but do it your own way. Now, with our £1.5bn Plan for Neighbourhoods, our government is doing exactly that.
“We’re taking inspiration from John’s New Deal for Communities – the trailblazing programme that took kids out of poverty and made estates safer – but gearing it for the Britain of 2025.”
The scheme follows on from the long-term plan for towns under Rishi Sunak’s government, which had pledged similar funding for areas across Britain. But Ms Rayner said: “I’ve chosen the 75 communities because they were promised this funding by the last government. That money never existed, the Tories had already spent it three times over, but we’ll make good on what places have been promised.”
She added: “But this goes further, a new programme that gives neighbourhoods control over their future, paired with the full-force of a government that sees their potential. It’s a clear break from levelling up. No more Dragon’s Den funding – just the transfer of power and investment to where it belongs. I won’t be micromanaging how places spend this money.”
Among the areas selected include Darlington, Scarborough, Great Yarmouth, Kirkby, and Grimsby. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said the cash will be made available from April 2025, with projects expected to be up and running in 2026.
The 75 areas to receive funding
Scotland
- Kirkwall (Orkney Islands)
Wales
Northern Ireland
North East
North West
Yorkshire and the Humber
East Midlands
West Midlands
East of England
South East
South West
