Londonderry and Coleraine to get £40m in neighbourhood funding
Coleraine and Londonderry are set to receive £40m as part of the UK government's Plan for Neighbourhoods, which follows on from a previous commitment made last year.In April 2024, it was announced as part of the Conservative government's budget that they would each receive £20m over 10 years, as part of the Towns Fund. The funding earmarked for the regeneration of both areas was then suspended by the newly elected Labour government last year.However, the government has now confirmed that both Coleraine and Derry will receive £20m each, along with 75 other areas across the UK.
'In contrast to unfunded pledges'
In a statement, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in the UK said that the funding would "help tackle deprivation and turbocharge growth for each area".They added that this announcement "is in contrast to unfunded pledges from the previous government".Funding will be released from April 2025 with delivery investment commencing in 2026, according to the department.
It continued that they have also doubled the number of things that the money can be spent on.This includes anything from repairs to pavements and high streets, to setting up low-cost community grocers providing low-cost alternatives when shopping for essentials, as well as cooperatives or neighbourhood watches.
Angela Rayner, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government and deputy prime minister, said 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," Rayner said."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 Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Hilary Benn MP, said the funding will be a "welcome boost" for those communities."This government is committed to supporting growth and public service transformation in Northern Ireland, and through the Budget we are delivering the largest real-terms funding settlement for Northern Ireland since devolution."In each area, the government will support the establishment of a new 'Neighbourhood Board', bringing together residents, local businesses, and grassroots campaigners to draw up and implement a new vision for their neighbourhood."The government's Plan for Neighbourhoods' ultimate aim is to create thriving places, strengthen communities, and empower local people to take back control in towns across the country."
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