URBAN funding of ECU 4.5 million for Leeds
The European Commission has approved a grant of ECU 4.5 million for the city of Leeds, United Kingdom, under the URBAN Community Initiative, which aims to assist regeneration of declining urban areas. The funding, which will be matched by national public and private finance totalling ECU 5 million, will go to projects in the Chapeltown and Harehills districts. A key feature will be the involvement of local people in the development and delivery of the projects. The areas have around 23,000 residents, and suffer from high levels of unemployment, low earnings and overcrowding, as well as very high levels of crime. These problems affect the areas' substantial ethnic minority population particularly heavily. Measures to be supported by the programme will aim to combat deprivation and exclusion, by unlocking the talents and aspirations of local people. The projects will create new employment opportunities, with around 200 jobs created and a further 100 people given training to improve their job prospects, improve quality of life and increase confidence in the area.
Countries
United Kingdom