View over Broomgrove, which is set to benefit from £1m of government funds.

Council gets go-ahead to spend £1m in Broomgrove

Hastings Borough Council has been given the go-ahead by the government to spend its £1m allocation from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund in Broomgrove, one of the town’s most deprived areas. Nick Terdre reports.

Hastings Borough Council is drawing up plans to spend £1m allocated to it from the government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) in Broomgrove, one of the most deprived neighbourhoods in the borough according to a report to the Cabinet in November, following government approval of its investment plan.

The fund is aimed at levelling up opportunity and prosperity and overcoming geographical inequalities that have held areas back in the past. Spending is restricted to three areas: communities and place, support for local businesses, and people and skills.

The council consulted with the Local Strategic Partnership and other stakeholders before submitting its proposal to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) in July. When ready for implementation, the plan will be delivered in close cooperation with partners, it says.

There is a three-year period for spending the money. Cabinet was told in November that £90,000 was due to be spent in the current financial year, £180,000 in 2023/24 and the balance of £730,000 in 2024/25.

“We are pleased this money has been allocated to help us address the inequality we have across our town,” said council leader Paul Barnett. “We look forward to working with residents, partner organisations and colleagues to put together the programme for this spending.”

Cllr Andy Batsford, health and culture lead, added: “With this great news we have already started the street level conversations with residents, community leaders, creative artists and lead NHS and health practitioners to ensure we use this money as the start to real lasting change in Broomgrove. We hope the funding will develop better health, play, sports and arts opportunities by 2025.”

Parks grant applied for

The council has also applied for up to £85,000 from the Levelling Up Parks fund which the government launched in August, also to be applied in Broomgrove. It has requested that the two initiatives be aligned.

Eastbourne, Lewes and Rother were also allocated £1m each, and Wealden £1.18m, from the UKSPF, which replaces financial support from two European Union funds now unavailable following Brexit. It is part of a suite of funds supporting the government’s levelling-up agenda.

Hastings is benefiting to the tune of £24.3m from the Town’s Fund and £636,000 from the Community Renewal Fund. It has yet however to tap the major source of money, the £4.8bn Levelling Up Fund, to which it is planning to apply next year. The DLUHC held competitive bidding rounds last year and this. A spokesman told HOT no decision has been made on holding a third round next year, but it will be likely if money remains in the pot.

The results of this year’s round, in which Rother and Eastbourne submitted bids, are expected to be released shortly, he said.

HBC is seeking a broadening of the criteria to which bids must conform, which currently are restricted to purely economic outcomes. The council told HOT it has not yet had any feedback from the department.

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