Two deprived neighbourhoods on Teesside and one in Newcastle have been awarded “trailblazer” status and up to £20mn each over ten years for long-tern community investment and support by a dedicated team to help them prepare.
Thorntree in Middlesbrough; Central Stockton and Portrack; and North Walker in Newcastle are among 25 “trailblazer neighbourhoods” chosen by the government for the grants.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) said it would work with partners to help crowd in investment and provide a direct link to Whitehall – making sure that places that have been too easily left behind are no longer ignored.
“This investment will support communities to drive forward the changes they want to see in their neighbourhoods,” said the MHCLG. “It will support improvements people can see on their doorstep, champion local leadership, foster community engagement and strengthen social cohesion.
“This forms part of communities funding for up to 350 places announced at the Spending Review including the 75 places named in the Plan for Neighbourhoods in March 2025. MHCLG will set out further details shortly.
“This will sit alongside much-needed reforms to simplify the local government funding landscape, getting money to the places that need it most, to deliver the services communities rely on.”
Twenty million pounds was a sum often awarded under the previous government’s Levelling Up Fund. For example, Newcastle received £20mn for a leisure centre at West Denton, Similar amounts went to projects in Gateshead, Sunderland, Blyth, Bishop Auckland and Stockton South.
This story is based on a statement from the MHCLG.
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