Government announces £1.5 billion funding for 75 selected areas of the UK, Plan for Neighbourhoods

£1.5bn for funding towards helping 75 of the most deprived areas of the UK, has been announced by the government. The funding is supposed to "restore pride in Britain's neighbourhoods and boost local growth", through the Plan for Neighbourhoods.

The plan is stated to help decades of decline, helping communities to become healthier and better connected. The government has laid out plans for the regeneration to high streets, parks, much-needed youth clubs, libraries, and health and wellbeing services. The idea is to set up 'neighbourhood boards' in the 75 selected areas, that will be made up of residents and local businesses, who will meet to decide exactly how best to spend the money in their local area, in an effort to give back to the UK communities who are struggling.

Each area of the 75 selected areas will receive upto £20m, spread over the next decade, according to the Plan.

Although the Plan is a positive government initiative it will remain to be seen if it actually gets rolled out and actioned by the local authorities involved. A 2024 study/report by the HBF or Home Builders Federation approximated that £6bn that had been raised by government/council financial contributions towards cost of infrastructure schemes with developers, remains unspent, and £2bn had not been spent, which was funds from the Community Infrastructure Levy. The Local Government Association stated that money collected from developers is "held until it can be spent on the projects which it has been earmarked for". However the Home Builders Federation suggested that the fact that these monies remain, that there is an unwillingness by some local authorities to spend developer contributions.

Angela Rayner, the deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government said:

“For years, too many neighbourhoods have been starved of investment, despite their potential to thrive and grow. Communities across the UK have so much to offer – rich cultural capital, unique heritage but most of all, an understanding of their own neighbourhood.

“We will do things differently, our fully funded Plan for Neighbourhoods puts local people in the driving seat of their potential, having control of where the Whitehall cash goes – what issues they want to tackle, where they want to regenerate and what growth they want turbocharge.”

The 75 selected areas earmarked to receive the funding are:

Scotland

• Arbroath

• Elgin

• Kirkwall (Orkney Islands)

• Peterhead

• Dumfries

• Irvine

• Kilmarnock

• Clydebank

• Coatbridge

• Greenock

Wales

• Barry

• Wrexham

• Rhyl

• Cwmbrân

• Merthyr Tydfil

Northern Ireland

• Derry/Londonderry

• Coleraine

North East England

• Blyth

• Darlington

• Eston

• Hartlepool

• Jarrow

• Spennymoor

• Washington

North West England

• Accrington

• Ashton-Under-Lyne

• Burnley

• Chadderton

• Darwen

• Farnworth

• Heywood

• Kirkby

• Leigh

• Nelson

• Newton-le-Willows

• Rawtenstall

• Runcorn

Yorkshire and the Humber

• Barnsley

• Castleford

• Dewsbury

• Doncaster

• Keighley

• Rotherham

• Scarborough

• Scunthorpe

• Grimsby

  
  

East Midlands

• Boston

• Carlton

• Chesterfield

• Clifton (Notts)

• Kirkby-in-Ashfield

• Mansfield

• Newark-on-Trent

• Spalding

• Worksop

• Skegness

  
  

West Midlands

• Bedworth

• Bilston

• Darlaston

• Dudley

• Royal Sutton Coldfield

• Smethwick

East of England

• Canvey Island

• Clacton-on-Sea

• Great Yarmouth

• King’s Lynn

• Thetford

• Wisbech

• Harlow

South East England

• Bexhill-on-Sea

• Eastbourne

• Hastings

• Ramsgate

• Ryde

South West England

• Torquay

The proposed funding is set to be released in April 2025, and the investment delivery starting in 2026. The selected areas where chosen based on health life expectancy and the rates of deprivation, amongst other key factors.

You can read more at the Gov.uk website HERE