Contractors to benefit from pro-growth investment?

Umbrella company contractors and others working in start-up business might stand to gain from the government's cash boost awarded through Communities and Local Government.

Almost £1 billion was given out in grants to communities with ambitions for economic growth in a bid to help people to get their projects started and boost the local region.

Half of the funding has already been confirmed in allocations through the Growing Places Fund, which aims to deliver the required infrastructure to build new homes and jobs and get stalled projects on the go again.

However, there is a further £432 million to be allocated through the New Homes Bonus funding, to help reinvigorate local assets and invest in local services and businesses. The idea behind this scheme is that once a council has received the funding from central government, local communities will work together to decide how best to spend it.

Housing minister Grant Shapps commented: “Today's announcement represents a massive cash boost of nearly £1billion to communities with a track record of going for growth, and with ambition to go even further.

"The Growing Places Fund will unlock further sites for development, creating new jobs in those areas, while the New Homes Bonus recognises the efforts that have been made over the last year to deliver thousands of new homes and bring empty properties back into use.”