Durham County Council’s new Joint Administration Cabinet will next week vote on providing an extra £10,000 for every County Councillor to invest in their communities.
The £1.26 million boost will be able to be invested immediately, and will also help councillors bring in even more investment through matched funding.
Councillor Elizabeth Scott, Lib Dem cabinet member for Economic Development, says,
“Putting more money direct into every heart of every community was one of our key manifesto pledges. By giving local councillors the ability to hit the ground running with extra funding we can make an immediate positive impact.
“For too long red tape and lack of resources has been holding back Councillors’ ability to fix local problems. Now Councillors have a real chance to shape their areas.”
Each County Councillor will have £29,400 to spend directly in their communities this year.
Additional funding will also be available from local Area Action Partnerships for community improvements including regeneration projects.
Cllr Scott adds, “Councillors are best placed, working in their communities to get work done quickly. We will be looking at how to further speed up and streamline funding processes too. This is especially important as we come out of the pandemic.”
