Communities across Liverpool are set to benefit from approximately £1.8 million of new investment each year through the Community Renewal Fund.
The new funding, agreed at last night’s Cabinet meeting, will be shared among 34 wards to support community-focused projects and activities.
Under the plans, ward councillors will lead decisions on how the money is spent locally, ensuring funding goes directly into the priorities that matter most to residents.
Those priorities could include improving youth services, supporting community events, improving health and tackling environmental issues.
The fund has been allocated using national data to target those in the most need, known as the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD).
The fund is due to launch later this summer and will sit alongside the existing budgets already available to ward councillors for community projects.
Each ward councillor in Liverpool already receives funding from the Council to carry out projects and improve outcomes for its residents. The Community Renewal Fund will be awarded in addition to this funding.
The full list of wards set to receive the funding is:
- Anfield
- Arundel
- Belle Vale
- Canning
- Clubmoor East
- Clubmoor West
- County
- Croxteth
- Dingle
- Edge Hill
- Everton East
- Everton West
- Fazakerley East
- Fazakerley West
- Garston
- Kensington & Fairfield
- Kirkdale East
- Kirkdale West
- Knotty Ash & Dovecot Park
- Norris Green
- Old Swan East
- Old Swan West
- Princes Park
- Smithdown
- Speke
- Stoneycroft
- Toxteth
- Tuebrook Breckside Park
- Tuebrook Larkhill
- Vauxhall
- Walton
- Wavertree Garden Suburb
- Yew Tree
The funding is in addition to extra money already being invested in neighbourhood improvements including new playgrounds, parks maintenance and additional street scene staff such as 26 additional barrow walkers and recruiting 11 people to the street wash team.
Councillor Ruth Bennett, Deputy Leader for Liverpool City Council, said: “This fund is about directing support to the communities that need it most, and doing so in a way that puts power directly into the hands of the people who know those areas best.
“We want this investment to help build pride in our neighbourhoods and reduce the inequalities that too many of our communities still face.
“There is already a huge amount of positive work happening across our wards through existing funding pots, and this new fund will allow us to go even further in supporting local priorities and improving lives.
“It is only possible to invest this money thanks to receiving the best financial settlement in 15 years from the government, combined with our sound financial stewardship which is driving up income and reducing debt owed to the council.”
