A £175m package of funding to give communities “a leading role in addressing local challenges” is to be shared by 60 areas.

The areas have been revealed by the National Lottery Community Fund, which is jointly funding the Community Wealth Fund with the government’s Dormant Assets Scheme.

Areas selected for the ten-year fund include parts of Nottingham, Leicestershire, Durham, Sunderland, Leeds, Rotherham, Liverpool, Portsmouth and Swindon.

Each has been selected based on their high levels of deprivation and local of local community infrastructure.

The money is set to be spent on creating or improving community spaces, and boosting local services and activities, with charities and community groups able to apply for funding.

Community allotments and giving young people a strong voice in local decision making are among examples given of how the money may be spent.

“Real community power means local people having the authority, resources and time to shape the decisions that affect their lives – not simply being consulted after decisions have been made,” said NLCF chief executive David Knott.

“The Community Wealth Fund is designed to put that ambition into practice.”

He added: “Success won't just be measured by what gets funded. It will be measured by whether communities have greater power and capacity to shape their own futures long after the funding ends.”

Each area is set to receive £2.5m. Applications will be open to different areas at different times, across three funding rounds.

More details can be found here.

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