COMMUNITY leaders in Derwentside have outlined how they will use more than £2.3m in government funding to improve the district.

The Single Regeneration Funding secured by the district council will attract more cash and forms part of a total funding package of more than £7m.

The package developed by the Derwentside Local Regeneration Partnership addressed unemployment, skills shortages and community development requirements.

These are along with a number of projects which will be developed and implemented over a six-year period in some of the district's neediest areas.

Building on previous regeneration programmes, the package will focus on three themes: business development, skills and training, and community participation.

The business development theme will build on the district council's work with Durham University to improve business competitiveness in the district.

The Derwentside Training for Industry unit will identify and help to meet the future requirements of the district's economy, and young entrepreneurs will be encouraged to develop their ideas.

In developing the bid, Derwentside Local Regeneration Partnership carried out a consultation exercise.

This identified the need for projects to support young people and led to the prioritising of a number of projects to confront the social and economic exclusion of young people, encouraging their development.

A key project in the bid, which comes under the community participation theme, is to undertake a community appraisal and employ a part-time community worker in each of the targeted wards.

These are Esh, Havannah, Dipton, Consett North, Crookhall and Blackhill.