Residents at the heart of new scheme to invest in their neighbourhoods

An exciting new project will see residents play a leading role in deciding how money will be spent in their neighbourhoods.

The Better Brighton & Hove fund invites residents in all wards to suggest how money raised from the neighbourhood portion of the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) should be spent.

Almost £750,000 is currently available to fund projects across the city and residents are being asked to put forward ideas for councillors to consider.

Every ward has money to spend

Introduced in 2020, CIL is a levy which developers pay when they build in the city.

Under the scheme, a percentage of the money raised from certain types of new developments, such as homes, shops, and student accommodation, can be used to improve amenities in the ward.

Funding is available in every ward across the city, with the amount reflecting the level of development that has taken place.

Ideas and suggestions

Over the next few weeks, residents are being invited to get involved in the Better Brighton & Hove Fund consultation on Your Voice and put forward ideas and suggestions of how the money could be spent.

Funding will be considered for schemes which improve or enhance council run/owned facilities, projects, buildings and other infrastructure.

In other parts of the country, CIL funded projects have included installing bus stops and murals, buying cricket nets, improving accessibility, creating a school allotment and supplying a defibrillator for community use.

Residents can submit their ideas and find out about other proposals that have been put forward.

Local groups which lease or hire facilities owned by the council are also invited to apply but will need to complete a different application form.

This is because these applications are likely to be for larger sums of money and may well bring in funding from other sources including local fund raising.

All ideas will be considered before ward councillors will make the final decision on where the money will be spent.

Get involved

Deputy Council Leader Jacob Taylor said: “Involving residents in decision making is a huge priority for us, so we are delighted to launch our Better Brighton & Hove Fund and urge people to get involved.

“Residents are the very best people to let us know what could be done to improve life in their neighbourhood. We’d love to see a wide range of ideas submitted from all sections of the community, involving large or small amounts of money.”

Councillor Julie Cattell, Lead for Major Projects said “We look forward to seeing Neighbourhood CIL funding making a positive difference in many more wards as additional funding is released from developments across the city in the future.

“Please do visit the Your Voice site, get involved and help us invest in a Better Brighton & Hove!”