South Tyneside Council looks to agree £1.26million funding for neighbourhood issues

Cabinet members at South Tyneside Council will be asked to agree to £1.26million worth of funding for the next municipal year to address local community priorities.

The local authority has confirmed that the funding would be shared across all five Community Area Forums (CAFs).

It will be used to support a range of housing and environmental initiatives, providing neighbourhood solutions to issues that are raised by residents.

Councillor Jane Carter, Lead Member for Governance, Finance and Corporate Services, has stated that the Council has been working to identify what areas need the most funding and resources.

She said: "Our Community Area Forums help empower communities to take action on matters that affect their local area.

"By continuing the investment in local neighbourhoods, we can help address matters that are important to our residents. £1.26m is proposed to be allocated in total.

"We’ve been working hard to target money and resources to the areas that need it the most, in a bid to reduce inequalities across the borough.

“Community Area Forums are encouraged to support projects with the same principles and target resources where there is a clear community benefit."

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South Tyneside Council has stated that the money will be used to support three CAF funding streams:

• Housing Capital: To support council Housing and access.
• Environmental Capital: This will support project that improve the local area, including estate improvements such as highways resurfacing, verge hardening, and improvements to public parks and other Council-owned public spaces.
• Local Neighbourhood Schemes: Money will support initiatives that are not eligible for funding from the capital schemes. These are typically smaller-scale environmental improvements like managing shrubs, bulb planting or fence painting.

South Tyneside Council has stated that if the funding is approved, £500,000 would be reinvested in council housing through CAF schemes, with allocations to each CAF determined by the number of council homes in each Forum area.

In addition to the CAF Housing Capital, South Tyneside Council’s Healthy Homes programme will specifically tackle issues such as damp and mould in Council properties.

Cabinet members will also consider the allocation of almost £28,000 to every ward for Environmental Capital improvements and almost £14,500 per ward for Local Neighbourhood improvements.