The deadline is fast approaching for community groups, charities and social enterprises across Barking and Dagenham to bid for funding of up to £10,000, as the council gets set to distribute money raised from the Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy (NCIL).

NCIL is a fee the council charges developers when they are building new housing developments in the borough, to make sure any such developments also benefit the local community.

The money is usually used to fund local neighbourhood schemes, such as community projects and environmental improvements, with projects being assessed against the themes of the Borough Manifesto.

The deadline for community groups to bid for up to £10,000 each is on Friday 22 February. Recommendations on who gets funded will then be made by a resident panel – made up of a cross section of people from Barking and Dagenham, after invitation letters were sent to a random selection of 1,000 residents on the electoral register.

"In our pursuit of growth for the whole borough, we are determined that no one is left behind"

Councillor Saima Ashraf, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Community Leadership and Engagement, is hoping to see as many organisations as possible applying before the deadline:

“This is a wonderful chance for good causes in the borough to benefit from the funds that have been generated through the Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy,” she said.

“I hope that all eligible organisations will consider submitting an application before the 22 February deadline, so that they can be in with a chance of receiving up to £10,000 of funding.

“In our pursuit of growth for the whole borough, we are determined that no one is left behind.

“So it will be fantastic to see people across our community benefitting from the significant revenue that we have raised from developments across Barking and Dagenham.”