Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when successful applications to the UK Community Renewal Fund will be announced; when funds will be released to local authorities in Great Britain and to projects in Northern Ireland; for what projects funding has not been released according to the timeline set out in his Department's prospectus; and whether the deadline for completing projects under the Community Renewal Fund will be extended in response to that delay.

I understand that lead local authorities and applicants are eager to hear investment decisions and begin delivery of UK Community Renewal Fund projects. We have received a fantastic response to the launch of the Community Renewal Fund, and also to the Levelling Up Fund and Community Ownership Fund. Given the significant level of interest my officials are continuing to assess UK Community Renewal Fund bids in line with the published assessment process.

My officials will shortly provide further guidance to enable lead local authorities to plan for the delivery phase of the Community Renewal Fund. This guidance will include confirmation of the timeline for project delivery, grant funding agreements and publication of the monitoring and evaluation framework. This combined with direct local support provided by the Cities and Local Growth Unit, will I hope alleviate any challenges faced by successful projects.