MORE than £680k is being distributed to towns and parishes across Babergh and Mid Suffolk to help local community infrastructure keep pace with housing growth.

Developers building homes within the districts are charged a Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), which the councils then reinvest in neighbourhoods via their towns and parish councils.

In this latest round of funding, 29 town and parish councils in Mid Suffolk will receive a share of a £553k, with 19 of Babergh's town and parishes receiving a portion of £127k.

The town and parish councils can decide how to spend this money to best support the development of their local area and meet the need of the community.

Those areas with successfully adopted neighbourhood plans will receive a higher amount of funding.

Cllr Sallie Davies, Babergh District Council's cabinet member for Planning, said: "As always, I am really pleased so see that the next round of neighbourhood CIL has been allocated.

"Neighbourhood CIL is such an important avenue of funding and gives local communities a much-needed boost to fund vital projects."

Cllr Andrew Stringer, Mid Suffolk District Council's cabinet member for Planning, said: "Ensuring that local infrastructure can develop at the same pace as local housing is vital and neighbourhood CIL is just one of the ways that this can take place.

"I look forward to seeing how towns and parishes spend their allocation to fund crucial, additional facilities."

This round of neighbourhood CIL is in addition to the £30.1 million of district CIL funding which has been allocated across Babergh and Mid Suffolk since 2018.

District CIL funding can be applied for throughout the year, initial enquiries to be made through the submission of a CIL Enquiry Form.

Further information about how CIL works can be found on the council's website: Community Infrastructure Levy - Babergh District Council - Babergh & Mid Suffolk District Councils - Working Together.