Mayor begins spending plans for city’s poorest

The East Midlands Mayor has begun her spending mission to improve the lives of Derby’s poorest – but has warned the cash will not solve all their problems.

Claire Ward visited Normanton and Arboretum wards to find out how a slice of £3 million of new regional funding can be spent to inject fresh hope to the city’s most poverty-stricken areas.

Her special visit came after it was announced “priority areas” in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire were to be boosted by the Mayor’s Community Development Fund.

Normanton and Arboretum were among a list of 10 locations to benefit and will both gain more than £250,000 each. The areas are the most deprived in Derby and have been high on the UK’s deprivation list.

Recent data showed 18 per cent of neighbourhoods in Derby are “highly deprived”. This is above the national average of 10 per cent. 

The Mayor told community figures, teachers, charity workers and school children at a special event that both areas had been underfunded for some time and it was time for change.

She said: “My job as the Mayor of the East Midlands is to make this a better region. It’s an exciting opportunity to lift this region and start putting the investment into it, in a way in which it has been left behind for many years. 

“I know that in parts of the city like here you feel that lack of broader investment – whether it be in the skills, jobs, infrastructure or in the homes. 

“We are trying to bring together those opportunities.”

But she warned the cash given to her will not solve all the problems the areas face.

Ms Ward added: “I want you to use this fund in a way which will grow your community but is also sustainable, not a one-off hit. I can’t solve all of your problems with that amount of money.

“But I can help you to develop your strengths and your opportunities to change and solve some of your own problems within that.“

After the Mayor’s speech, Normanton councillor Jangir Khan expressed concern that the money given for the “declining” area was “not enough”. 

He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “The funding is about £257,000 for each ward – it is not a lot of money. 

“If the money gets distributed in a way where a few thousand goes here and there, I don’t think it will make much difference.  

“The money has to be allocated and delivered in a way that can make a difference. It’s not enough money.“

But fellow Normanton councillor Gurkiran Kaur said the cash injection provides a “start” for people looking for fresh hope in their lives.

She said: “I think it is the start of a really positive piece of work. I think lots of good work can be done with the money. 

“I’m looking to see what projects will be supported in the area and how we can support them as well.

“I think it is really important to listen to young people in the area. It is really positive to see schools here and children – this is about their future. 

“There’s a lot of causes for the problems we have and it’s about tackling the roots of those.”