Town and parish councils in Babergh and Mid Suffolk are set to receive more than £979,000 in developer contributions to help community infrastructure keep pace with housing growth.

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

Of the £979,000 funding, 38 town and parish councils in Mid Suffolk will receive a share of a £698k, with 24 of Babergh's town and parishes receiving a portion of £281K.

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: "It is great to see that the next round of neighbourhood CIL has been delivered to towns and parish councils across Babergh.

"Funding streams such as this are really important for our local communities and I look forward to seeing what is delivered as a result of this funding boost."

Cllr Andrew Stringer, Mid Suffolk District Council's cabinet member for Planning, said: "This is fantastic news for town and parish councils in Mid Suffolk as it is crucial to enable them to fund much needed additional facilities and in turn, keep up with the increasing demand placed on local infrastructure."

This round of neighbourhood CIL is in addition to the £15 million CIL funding which has been allocated in both districts since 2018.

The latest bid round for communities wishing to benefit from future CIL funding is now open until Thursday 31 October.

Successful bids will receive their funding decision in due course, subject to approval by Cabinet.

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.