James Cunningham

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MP welcomes much needed funding for the City

21 January 2010

Jim Cunningham, MP for Coventry South, has today welcomed the news that an investment program for local communities, already confirmed for the Canley area, has now also been successful in two further areas in the City.

Further to recent reports, the two extra bids put in for Hillfields and Willenhall under the scheme, after intervention from Jim Cunningham, have been confirmed. This means that a total of approximately £94,000 will now be invested in these areas by March.

The 'Connecting Communities' program is an initiative from the Department of Communities and Local Government, which aims to put residents in control of their own communities. The £12 million scheme aims to help traditional working class communities to address local concerns and increase local employment opportunities, in a bid to improve community cohesion and prevent types of extremism exploiting fractured communities.

After receiving the news that the bids had been successful, Mr. Cunningham commented:

"I am thrilled that Hillfields and Willenhall, along with Canley, have been successful in this program. Social and economic deprivation is the root cause of many issues in our communities, and can be further exacerbated during a recession.

"The funding will focus on ward specific issues meaning it will really go to help those who need it most.

"This is great news for the area. I will continue to do my utmost to support hard working communities in Coventry."