The annual budget has been announced and with it, the successful bids for the new Levelling Up Fund! How will these local areas use it to improve their communities?
At the spending review in March, the government set aside £4.8 billion for a 'Levelling Up Fund.' This could be anything from upgrading local transport systems to regenerating high streets to investing in culture and heritage. With the announcement of the 2021 budget, the winning bids for this fund with the first £1.7 billion allocated to 105 different areas across the UK.
From the Isles of Scilly improving their sea links to the mainland, to the redevelopment of Inverness Castle in the Highlands of Scotland, we can't wait to see how local authorities and the public come together to make these changes happen.
How can you make it happen? Arrange a free consultation today!
To make the most of local project funding, open communication is crucial. Securing the bid is a big step - and just the start of the journey. After that, there needs to be a continuous conversation between the local authority and the community to avoid any obstacles that might slow down progress.
Online tools can help you achieve that. Having a digital engagement hub for your winning project will keep your local community in the loop and will help massively with securing their trust and support of the project. It also enables them to help refine aspects of the design and execution, giving them a more hands on role.
Whether it's for travel, new homes or high street regeneration, projects can take a lot of time before anyone on the ground notices a difference. With the publicity around the Levelling Up Funds, expectations are high and people are going to want to see that money put to work. Having the ability to quickly share updates either via email, social media or on a news feed will help keep people informed and build confidence in the work (all things that our Commonplace platform can help with!) Commonplaces also have the bonus of being very visual. You can easily present what the end goal of your work will look like and there's a convenient timeline right on the Home Page to show what stage your project is currently in.
If you keep posting updates, a longer and more meaningful conversation about planning can be had. For example, in our recent Engaging for the Future report, we found out that over 87% of Commonplace respondents wanted to be notified about multiple local engagement opportunities and contributed on a project an average of 6 times.
We've been involved with several bids before, including helping Blackpool secure funding from the government’s £3.6 billion Towns Fund last year.
So whether you've got a winning bid or are eligible to submit a plan, we're here to facilitate the best engagement possible from your communities.
The Government will be allocating additional Levelling Up Funds in the coming months and a solid engagement strategy is an important part of a successful bid.
Next steps
An existing Commonplace customer? Just get in touch and we'll show you exactly how your licence can be used or upgraded to facilitate a project like this.
New? Arrange a free demo and we'll be more than happy to talk you through the best strategy for you.