Ł780,000 DSD Funding Boost For North West Welcomed

11 July 2003
Ł780,000 DSD FUNDING BOOST FOR NORTH WEST WELCOMED
The news that Londonderry and the North West is to receive a substantial share of the new Local Community Fund has been welcomed by political and community leaders in the area.

The funding, announced by Rt Hon John Spellar MP, the Minister with responsibility for Social Development, on Thursday, will see Derry receive Ł474,000 in the current year with a further Ł247,000 and Ł58,000 going to Strabane and Limavady respectively.

The Mayor of Derry, Councillor Shaun Gallagher, said: "This new programme will help communities throughout the City address weak community infrastructure at neighbourhood level. It will support the development of community leadership in areas that have not yet seen the benefits of the progress made elsewhere."

The funding was also welcomed by local Community Leaders including Glen Barr of the Waterside Area Partnership and Jim McColgan of the Ballymagroarty Hazelbank Community Partnership.

Glen Barr congratulated the Department for Social Development for its willingness to consult with local communities on how best to use, deliver and facilitate take-up of the funding: "This new funding, which will be delivered in a manner that is easily accessible, provides a golden opportunity for local groups to acquire the technical know-how required to support community driven regeneration."
Jim McColgan said that he looked forward to engaging with the North West Development Office and other potential funders to agree how to ensure this allocation of funding to the area will have a lasting impact on social economic and community development. He said: "The allocation of funding to the Ballymagroarty / Hazelbank area will allow locally based organisations to address specific needs, particularly in relation to capacity and leadership, women and young people."

Confirming that the funding is additional money, Declan O’Hare of the North West Development Office which will deliver the new funding, in conjunction with Derry City Council, the local partnership and representatives of the community, said that the Ł780,000 available in the current year was on top of earlier funding announcements made by the Department for Social Development. He continued: "Earlier this year, the Department for Social Development announced that it was providing up to Ł4 million to areas in the North West under the Peace 2 Area Based Regeneration Programme. We are also providing Ł1.8 million for local community development activities under the Peace 2 Community Sustainability Programme.

"Together with the recent launch of the Department’s new Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy – "People and Place", these announcements reflect a strong commitment to supporting a partnership approach to addressing the needs of our most disadvantaged communities."

Click here to print this press release.