- Mayor’s Community Development Fund will help tackle deprivation and improve lives across the East Midlands
- Scheme to be led by local community champions who know best what will help deliver for their area
- Funding echoes this Labour Government’s Plan for Change, with our pledge to break down the barriers of opportunity
Labour’s Mayor of the East Midlands has today announced a £3 million pot to help grassroots community groups across the region thrive.
The Mayor’s Community Development Fund was launched by Claire Ward on Thursday [4 September] alongside Minister for Local Government and English Devolution Jim McMahon and Labour’s High Peak MP Jon Pearce in Gamesley – one of the 10 priority areas across Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire which the fund is open to.
The scheme, which will run over the next three years, aims to tackle deprivation and improve lives.
It will be led by those who know their areas best – the community groups on the ground – and deliver on this Labour Government’s pledge to break down barriers of opportunity, not letting where you come from define where you go.
Mayor Claire Ward said: “The aim of this fund is to ensure that 10 priority areas across Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire will have the opportunity to thrive. This is about giving these areas the confidence, tools and support they need to take control of their future.
“We’re not here to impose solutions from the top down. I want local people to tell me what they need. They already have the strength and creativity; this is about helping them to grow.
“I look forward to delivering this money and demonstrating the positive change that a Labour Mayor is making in the East Midlands.”
Groups can now register with the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA) for the funding, with those involved with revitalising community spaces, skills and employment, health and wellbeing, and heritage especially encouraged to apply.
The 10 priority areas are:
- Arboretum – Derby City
- Bestwood – Nottingham City
- Cotmanhay – Erewash, Derbyshire
- Dales – Nottingham City
- Gamesley – High Peak, Derbyshire
- Leamington – Ashfield, Nottinghamshire
- Normanton – Derby City
- Shirebrook North – Bolsover, Derbyshire
- Warsop Parish – Mansfield, Nottinghamshire
- Worksop South-East – Bassetlaw, Nottinghamshire
Labour MP for Erewash, Adam Thomspon, said: “For too many years, Cotmanhay has been left behind. But with a Labour Mayor, a Labour MP and a Labour Government working hand in hand, we are turning our backs on that dark past and bringing forward the change we promised.
“I’m excited that Cotmanhay has been chosen to receive this grant and I particularly appreciate that those who benefit will be based on need – not the flawed and wasteful bidding system used by the Conservatives.
“I’m very thankful to our Mayor of the East Midlands, Claire Ward, for making this commitment possible, and I can’t wait to talk to Cotmanhay families more about how we can invest in their futures.”
Labour MP for Mansfield, Steve Yemm, said: “This funding from our Labour Mayor will help make a real difference to the people of Warsop and the amazing organisations based there.
“These groups are at the heart of our communities and it is right that they will be able to decide how best to support local people, rather than somebody in Whitehall making the decision.
“It shows just why this Labour Government’s devolution revolution is such an important step in renewing our county and our country.”
Labour MP for Derby South, Baggy Shanker, said: “Derby’s community groups and centres are powered by incredible local heroes who go above and beyond to support our neighbourhoods and the people who call them home. I’ve worked closely with many of them over the years and seen first-hand the time, effort and dedication they put into their work.
“That’s why I’m delighted to see Mayor Claire introduce this new £3 million fund which will support groups in ten priority areas, including Normanton and Arboretum. It’s an investment in the people who are already transforming lives by helping to build skills and give local communities even greater control over shaping their own future.”
