- Communities and businesses along Phase One of the HS2 route have received a £3.5m total cash injection.
- 62 projects have been funded since the programme launched in 2017.
- Community groups and business support organisations are encouraged to apply for funding for their local projects.
The latest cohort of projects to receive funding from the HS2 Community and Business Funds have been announced today, taking the total award value from the Funds to £3.5m to organisations along Phase One of the HS2 route.
HS2’s Community and Environment Fund (CEF) and Business and Local Economy Fund (BLEF) has so far seen 62 projects from across the country receive funding awards. This government-backed funding programme was created to add benefit to communities and support local businesses affected by Phase One of HS2 above compensation and mitigation.
The Funds are being managed independently by Groundwork UK, a community charity that works to transform lives in the UK’s most disadvantaged communities.
The latest cohort of funded CEF and BLEF projects includes:
- Kenilworth Town Council which has just received £74,000 of BLEF funding for their ‘Kenilworth Open for Business’ project to promote the local area and support local businesses during HS2 construction.
- In Staffordshire, Whittington and Fisherwick Parish Council was successful in receiving close to £10,000 for to refurbish the BMX Track for their community and to provide an outdoor space for local young people.
- In Buckinghamshire, Ballinger Waggoners Cricket Club has received close to £5,000 of CEF funding to recruit a female coach for the Women’s and Girls team to enable the team to continue to expand and improve. £75,000 of CEF funding has also been awarded to Road Farm Countryways CIC, a Care Farming Community Interest Company that provides opportunities for young adults with learning difficulties and physical disabilities, to refurbish their buildings on the site for the young adults to use, including creating a new workshop and training facility.
- London Borough of Camden Council which is investing £75,000 of CEF Local funding into an outreach project to engage and create ‘The Euston Well-Being Team’ to support the local street population and help to reduce local crime and antisocial behaviour that is currently being experienced in the area.
Community groups and business support organisations are being encouraged to apply to the Funds for projects that have a demonstrable positive impact on their local community.
Cathy Elliott, Independent Chair of CEF and BLEF, said:
I am delighted to see the growing variety of funded projects along the Phase One line of route in both rural and urban areas which benefit the wider community. I continue to encourage organisations near to the line of route to make quality applications to the Funds in order to gain the tangible benefits that they offer. I look forward to visiting the latest funded projects.
A combined total of £40 million has been made available for both the CEF and BLEF projects for Phase One of the construction of HS2. The Funds will provide support for good quality bids and funding will be available throughout this time period. CEF and BLEF have supported 62 projects since March 2017 from small scale grassroots projects to large scale capital projects which benefit a wide range of communities.
