Three of the North East’s most deprived areas will be among 18 throughout England sharing almost £52mn over the coming three years to improve the lives of adults beset by a range of problems and disadvantages.
Middlesbrough will receive over £3mn, Hartlepool almost £2.4mn and Sunderland almost £2.3mn, starting next month and going through to 2028/29.
According to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) the Changing Futures programme aims to improve outcomes for adults experiencing multiple disadvantage – including combinations of homelessness, substance misuse, mental ill health, domestic abuse and contact with the criminal justice system.
From April 2026, said the MHCLG, a new 3-year phase of the programme will target 18 of the most deprived areas of the country, bringing together local partnerships across heath, social care, substance misuse, housing, police, criminal justice and voluntary sectors to help people with the most complex problems regain control over their lives with the right support at the right time.
The new allocations form the second phase of the Changing Futures programme. Middlesbrough was in the first phase, though not from the start in 2021. Newcastle and Gateshead were also in Phase 1. Hartlepool and Sunderland are new to the programme.
The selected areas are based on the Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) published last autumn, According to the MCHLG:” The IMD is the best proxy measure for concentrations of multiple disadvantage as it takes account of needs, service challenges and wider contextual factors related to multiple disadvantage.”
Comment
The government is pulling out the stops to announce grants for local communities ahead of council elections in May (though not in Middlesbrough this year). As well as phase 2 of the Changing Futures programme, it announced £15mn for rough sleeping in late February, the latest allocations under the £5bn Pride in Place programme a few days ago and simultaneously £18mn for playgrounds.
*This report (but not the comment) is based on guidance from the MCHLG
