Community Renewal Fund set to benefit almost 500 local projects

The government is supporting 477 locally led projects that aim to help regenerate towns, villages and coastal communities and deliver net zero through the £200m Community Renewal Fund.

The projects include skills training for the unemployed and investment in businesses developing low carbon technology.

The announcement follows the Autumn Budget and Spending Review, which saw £1.7bn of funding allocated from the Levelling Up Fund and £150m from the Community Ownership Fund.

Secretary of state for levelling up, Michael Gove, said: ‘We are levelling up in every corner of the United Kingdom, backing locally-led projects that will make a real difference to communities and help to deliver our net zero commitments. There is incredible talent spread right across our great country and this investment will unlock the opportunities to match.’

Projects being funded through the Community Renewal Fund include £1m to train people in retrofit and modern construction skills in Devon, £400,000 to create a ‘Seaweed Academy’ in Argyll and Bute to educate people in seaweed farming, and £200,000 to support unemployed and disadvantaged people in Carmarthenshire to start their own business by investing in digital and entrepreneurial skills.

Other successful projects include:

• £73,000 to support people with conditions such as Tourette’s, OCD, ADHD and Dyslexia in Antrim and Newtownabbey into employment
• £187,000 to support the development of electric vehicle charging across whole of the Scottish Borders
• £480,000 to support local businesses in Blackburn and Darwen to adopt low carbon production technologies
• £808,000 to help create 40 online training centres for people who don’t have access to the internet in the North East to improve digital skills and open up digital employment opportunities
• £426,000 will help small businesses in Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon innovate and reduce their carbon footprint

The full list of successful bids can be found here.

In related news, Executive Director of the Institute of Economic Development, Nigel Wilcock, provides his insight on the Autumn Budget and Spending Review, and what it means for economic development and regeneration in the UK. 

Photo by Dylan Gillis