This week, the Government issued its Plan for Neighbourhoods, a prospectus for tackling longstanding issues in some of the UK’s most deprived areas. The plan promises up to £20 million for each of the selected 75 neighbourhoods. This amounts to a significant injection of funds designed to rejuvenate physical infrastructure, repair fractured and mistrustful communities, and drive economic growth.
Overall, the plan is a welcome one. It promises significant investment totalling £1.5 billion over a 10-year timeframe. It also signals a welcome return to supporting the country’s most deprived communities, moving away from the sink-or-swim vision of localism witnessed since 2010.