More than £640,000 given to community groups in Harborough

Community schemes have been boosted to the tune of more than £640,000 by Harborough District Council.

The special Section 106 cash is handed over by developers to be ploughed into local projects and social infrastructure where they are building houses.

Grassroots initiatives which have successfully applied for funding are:

 Robert Smyth Academy – £370,000 for a full size floodlit artificial grass pitch for Market Harborough Hockey Club and other sports.

 Lutterworth Tennis Club – £120,000 for a new Tennis Dome to cover two courts to provide all year-round tennis.

 Broughton Astley Parish Council – £50,141 towards the town’s major new leisure centre.

 Fleckney Village Hall – £48,555 for the full re-model and refurbishment of washroom facilities.

 Houghton Bowls Club - £37,000 for the renovation and extension of the bowling green.

 Kibworth Joint Recreational Committee – £18,750 for the replacement of run-down fencing with steel

railings and gates, including new seating areas and bike racks.

Cllr Michael Rickman, Harborough District Council’s Cabinet member for communities, said: “This is another significant amount of money which will make a huge positive impact on projects with benefits to residents across the whole of the district.

“Since 2015 we have allocated approximately £1.6m from Section 106 grants.

“This round takes it to over £2 million – with much more to come.”

Organisations from areas with Section 106 funding are invited to submit grant applications.

Details of these areas are available on the council’s website at www.harborough.gov.uk/grants