West Lothian Council has £600,000 to spend on developing new facilities across the county - and is looking to communities with ideas for development.
It is the latest grant in a national scheme which has given more than £2m to community development in the last three years.
But the time frame for applicants is tight, with just over a month left to submit plans for consideration.
Local schemes which have already benefited from the Holyrood-backed Place Based Investment Fund have included West Lothian Foodbank and Livingston’s Craigsfarm.
A total of £600,000 has been allocated to West Lothian from the Scottish Government’s Place Based Investment programme for 2023/24.
The programme aims to support projects which support shared local plans and aspirations, with a priority given to those which support Community Wealth Building.
West Lothian is now inviting proposals from the Third Sector and community groups for proposals.
Successful projects include West Lothian Food Bank, who were granted £188,697 for their market garden project; and Craigsfarm Community Development Project which won £129,602 to refurbish and upgrade their facilities which are in community ownership.
The West Calder Hub was awarded £140,265 for its ‘Customer improvements at West Calder Hub’ project. The project aimed to renovate and improve the existing hub facility at West Calder Community Centre.
West Lothian College was awarded £493,346 to build an eco-house education and training centre. The project will build a state-of-the-art eco-house at the West Lothian College campus.
Executive councillor for Economy, Community Empowerment and Wealth Building Kirsteen Sullivan said: “I would encourage any local organisations or groups with suitable capital projects to come forward.
“Community Wealth Building is about ensuring that wealth is locally owned and benefits local people.
“We want to work in partnership with communities and businesses to build a strong local economy which supports fair work, encourages local spending and uses the land and property we own for the common good.
“The deadline for applications is 5pm on Wednesday 2 August 2023, and I hope to see a range of applications that will make a real difference to people in West Lothian.”
To date West Lothian Council has been allocated £1.302 million in 2021/22 and £1.132 million in 2022/23.
A further allocation of £789,000 has been provided for 2023/24- £600,000 for Community Wealth Building capital projects, and £189,000 for community choices grants.
It is expected that a further two years of funding will be provided by the Scottish Government from 2024 to 2026 at around £789,000 per annum.
For more details or to apply, please visit www.westlothian.gov.uk/pbip. The closing date for applications is 5pm on Wednesday 2 August 2023.
Don't miss the latest news from the West Lothian Courier. Sign up to our free newsletter here
