The county council recently launched its Levelling Up Together fund.

It has £1.5 million to allocate across Gloucestershire. The funding is being targeted at ten communities in the county where there are higher levels of financial hardship, and people that need extra support. Podsmead is one of the areas in the list.

Residents and groups are encouraged to put together proposals.

There is no lower limit on applications, so applicants could request small amounts of money, whilst the maximum that any one application can bid for is £150,000.

The deadline for proposals is 27th November. Do get in touch with me – I will be liaising with the county council over this scheme and will be looking to support Podsmead bids via the county council.

More information can be obtained at:

www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/your-community/levelling-up-together

Applications must demonstrate how the funding will contribute to Gloucestershire County Council’s ambitions to level up:

• By 2030, the gap in Healthy Life Expectancy (HLE) between local areas where it is highest and lowest will have narrowed, and by 2035 HLE will rise by five years.
• By 2030, well-being will have improved in every area of the UK, with the gap between top performing and other areas closing.
• By 2030, the number of primary school children achieving the expected standard in reading, writing and maths will have significantly increased.  In England, this will mean 90% of children will achieve the expected standard, and the percentage of children meeting the expected standard in the worst performing areas will have increased by over a third.
• By 2030, the number of people successfully completing high-quality skills training will have significantly increased in every area of the UK.  In England, this will lead to 200,000 more people successfully completing high-quality skills training annually, driven by 80,000 more people completing courses in the lowest skilled areas.
• By 2030, pride in place, such as people’s satisfaction with their town centre and engagement in local culture and community, will have risen in every area of the UK, with the gap between top performing and other areas closing

The Levelling Up Together webpages will also be helpful: www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/levelling-up-together particularly the FAQs.