More than 50 projects across Scotland are set to receive UK
Government investment to help people into work, boost
productivity and deliver net zero.
The Community Renewal Fund will pilot new programmes that invest
in people, boost skills and support local business – to build
more communities that people are proud to call home.
The £200 million Fund is supporting almost 500 projects in towns,
villages and coastal communities across the whole United Kingdom
to ensure that no place is left behind as the UK
Government delivers on its commitment to level up the country.
Many of the successful projects are supporting the UK’s path to
net zero carbon emissions, giving businesses creating clean
technology a boost and ensuring that jobs are future proof. For
example, £407,000 will create a Seaweed Academy in Argyll and
Bute, providing training and education in seaweed farming. This
money will help supercharge regional growth in an industry which
has a crucial role to play in the UK’s net zero ambitions.
Other projects being funded include:
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£979,710 for Dumfries and Galloway to develop an
investment-ready plan for a carbon-neutral ‘21st Century
Village’, with 470 smart, adaptable new homes.
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£218,739 to fund employment and wellbeing initiatives for
housing association residents in the Scottish Borders. This
will offer residents digital skills, financial literacy, and
mental health support.
-
£503,880 for North Lanarkshire to give the local community
practical and personal development support on their doorstep
to help them into employment.
-
£306,000 to fund street performances and culture festivals in
Aberdeen city centre, placing artists at the heart of the
city’s recovery from the pandemic and creating employment and
training opportunities in Aberdeen’s creative industries.
-
£306,000 to provide skills training to 16-24 year olds in
Inverclyde to help them secure employment.
-
£187,272 to support the development of electric vehicle
charging across the whole of the Scottish Borders to benefit
residents, the public sector and businesses and ensure
maximisation of commercial opportunities and reduction in
carbon footprint.
Secretary of State for Levelling Up said:
As we unite and level up the whole United Kingdom, we are
determined to help communities the length and breadth of the
country make the most of their talents and create new
opportunities in their areas.
The funding we are announcing today supports local projects
across Scotland, from the Borders to Na h-Eileanan Siar, which
will create new jobs and help us to achieve net zero carbon
emissions.
Secretary of State for Scotland said:
It’s great to see the UK Government’s efforts to level up all
parts of the United Kingdom continue at pace.
This £18 million for 56 projects will help strengthen communities
across Scotland. From helping to develop a 21st Century
carbon-neutral village, to boosting skills, employment and
enterprise, encouraging tourism, supporting performing arts and
investment in cyber and digital - this money is being spent on
projects that matter most to people.
Combined with the money announced at Budget and our region deals
funding, the UK Government is investing more than £1.7 billion
into Scottish projects - levelling up communities by working in
partnership with local organisations to build on regional
strengths.
This is real devolution in action which will help local areas
thrive as we build back better, stronger and greener from the
pandemic.
Local authorities were invited to bid for funding from the
Community Renewal Fund in May 2021.
The £200 million funding through the UK Community Renewal Fund
will help local areas prepare for the launch of the UK Shared
Prosperity Fund in 2022, the scheme that will see UK-wide funding
at least match EU money, reaching around £1.5 billion a year.
In last week’s Budget, the UK Government announced investment of
more than £173 million directly into communities in
Scotland, through the Levelling Up and Community Ownership
funds, for big regeneration projects and smaller community
initiatives.
The full list of projects in Scotland is represented
on this
map.
Further information is
available on all three funds, the Community Renewal Fund, the
Community Ownership Fund and the Levelling Up Fund, including the
full lists of successful bids
The published
methodology used to identify places in need of funding is
also available.
Investment from EU Structural Funds will continue to be spent by
local areas until 2023 and the Government has committed to at
least matching EU receipts through the new UK Shared Prosperity
Fund, on average reaching around £1.5 billion a year.
This new Fund, to be launched in 2022, will operate throughout
the UK and play a part in uniting and levelling up the whole
country.
