Local groups in the North East have been allocated a total of £675,000 by the government from the Common Ownership Fund (COF) for a village hall and a dementia garden.
Middleton-in-Teesdale Village Hall has been allocated £436,200 for its building from the Fund and Cramlington Town Council will receive £239,056 for Coronation Park Dementia Garden.
They are among 85 successful applicants across the UK whose bids were successful in the latest round of COF bidding. Altogether £36mn is being allocated, bringing the total so far to 409 projects worth £135mn.
Previous successful bidders in the North East have included Birtley Community Aquatic Centre in Gateshead, Scotswood Natural Community Garden in Newcastle, Tyne & Wear Building Preservation Trust, Middlesbrough Rugby Union FC, Weardale Museum and Whitley Bay Big Local.
The COF was created by the previous Conservative government as part of its levelling up policy and is being carried on under Labour. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said:
Thriving Communities
“[T]he government is committed to kickstarting economic growth and raising living standards. Thriving communities lie at the heart of a thriving economy, and the support provided by the COF will inject funding where it is most needed, making change happen and bringing people together in the process.
“The projects will support the government on its path to national renewal, helping realise our regions’ huge potential while creating safer and happier streets by restoring community pride.”
Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner said:
“We are delivering on our Plan for Change by saving these vital community assets to provide important opportunities for working people and their families.
“These projects represent what is so special about communities across the UK – bringing people of all ages together, providing vital support and giving them a sense of purpose and belonging.
“Every project will support social causes in the community, keeping widely used services open and thriving to improve people’s health and wellbeing.”
Minister for Local Growth, Alex Norris said:
“These are all multi-functional spaces that do so much for local people and most of us will have fond memories in treasured places like these.
“We’ve prioritised these grants to help preserve and upgrade what these vital places offer to their communities – whether that’s improving access to sport and education, tackling loneliness or boosting family services for parents and children.
“This is just the start of our work to support communities and give them greater control of their assets and we’ll be setting out our full strategy next year.”
This report is based on two MHCLG press releases
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