£2.8m boost for community projects

1:21pm - 18 November 2021
a pound sign held up against the sunlight

Community initiatives to boost employment and enhance the skills of local people are coming to North Somerset thanks to a £2.8m funding boost.

We’ve secured the money from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) as part of its UK Community Renewal Fund (UKCRF).

Our successful bid for £2.8m means we’ll be able to pilot programmes and new approaches which will invest in skills, local business and help people into employment.

There will be four initiatives in North Somerset:

  • North Somerset Works Together will receive more than £585,000. We’ll be working with Weston College, Voluntary Action North Somerset (VANS) and Curo  to provide a new tailored offer to residents needing support, matching job vacancies with jobseekers in the most deprived communities. 
  • Enabling Thriving Places in North Somerset has been awarded more than £672,000. Working with Bristol City Council, this placemaking research project will create projects and spaces to bring people together, build social fabric, boost recovery/resilience and create places where people want to work, visit or live.
  • Supporting Business in North Somerset will receive £878,000. This partnership project with the North Somerset Enterprise Agency, the Food and Drink Forum and Weston College will provide targeted business skills support for companies and individuals, as well as a new business station in central Weston.
  • North Somerset Community Hubs will get nearly £700,000. We will work with the North Somerset Black and Minority Ethnic Forum, VANS, town and parish councils, The Stable, West of England Rural Network, Avon Local Councils Association and Culture Weston to establish a network of community hubs as focal points for delivering community services.

Each of these projects will help breathe new life into the North Somerset economy and stimulate further growth in the area.