Worthing CIL Neighbourhood Fund
Introduction to the Worthing CIL Neighbourhood Fund
Worthing Borough Council are proud to be launching the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) Neighbourhood Fund programme for 2025.
After the successful allocation of over £200,000 to community groups in 2024, the council is now in a position to open up the community-based funding round again for 2025. Last year's CIL Neighbourhood Fund programme helped Worthing Borough Council better appreciate and celebrate the generosity, creativity, and ambition of our voluntary and community sector.
We want to continue working hand in hand with our communities, to help our residents and our places to thrive, in particular at a neighbourhood level.
We want to continue supporting and celebrating the great work of the voluntary and community sector as we launch the 2025 CIL Neighbourhood Fund programme.
And we are making some changes to the information and guidance for applicants as we continue to evolve the fund based on our learnings from last year and because our funding pot is smaller this year.
The Worthing CIL Neighbourhood Fund pots of money have been accrued from payments made by developers building in the local area and are available to local community groups, organisations and residents associations in the selected areas. A summary of the applications received and which projects have been funded can be found in the previously successful projects section (see below).
What can the CIL Neighbourhood Fund be used for?
15% of all CIL funds received by Worthing Borough Council are to be spent in the neighbourhood where the development took place (known as the 'Neighbourhood Fund').
In accordance with the Government's CIL Regulations the CIL Neighbourhood Fund should be used to support local projects which entail:
- the provision, improvement, replacement, operation or maintenance of infrastructure; or
- anything else that is concerned with addressing the demands that development places on an area
The opportunity with this fund is the "demand that the development places on an area". This gives communities freedom and power to spend the money on a wide range of things, in consultation with the local residents. Local project proposals seeking support from the CIL Neighbourhood Fund, can therefore cover a broad range of project types, by using the opportunities that local development brings to an area.
This might include projects that:
- tackle social isolation
- encourage community cohesion
- improve open space, play and leisure facilities
- enhance your local environment, or tackle the impact on the climate
- promote outdoor spaces or enhance people's health and wellbeing
- deliver public art
- encourage residents to use local activities they might not normally be able to access
The activity must take place in the CIL area you are applying for, as defined below.
As part of the application and any subsequent award you will be expected to evidence the local need and provide impactful case studies.
What types of projects are we looking for in 2025?
As a council for the community, we want to continue working hand in hand with our communities, to help our residents and our places to thrive, in particular at a neighbourhood level. We want to continue supporting and celebrating the great work of the voluntary and community sector as we launch the 2025 CIL Neighbourhood Fund programme. The CIL Neighbourhood Fund is continuing to evolve as a fund, in order to ensure it remains a suitable source of funding for local needs in Worthing.
The expectation is that projects which receive CIL funding in 2025 will be delivering projects in the four CIL Areas which have funding available (Coastal East, North East, North and North West).
In particular in 2025, we are interested in projects which meet the following criteria:
- Provide direct benefits to the Worthing CIL Area residents and the environment:
the CIL Neighbourhood Fund is designed to meet local needs arising from development. Therefore, it is important that projects consider how they can provide direct benefits to residents living in a CIL Area. - Providing value for money:
ideally projects will have secured additional funding to help deliver their project. This could also include volunteer hours, or free labour. We are looking for projects where CIL funding will help deliver a suitable project that provides a strong benefit compared to the cost. - Helping to build inclusive and connected communities:
we're looking to support projects that build community cohesion and enable residents to improve their neighbourhoods. For more information on what this means see: - Projects with a clear demonstration of local need:
we're looking to support projects where there is a clear local need which is to be addressed. Groups should have evidence of working with people who understand the needs of the CIL Area to help develop and shape their project. - Working in partnership:
groups should look to work with other groups/organisations in the CIL Area to help widen the impact of the project. Collaboration can help with the long term success of a project.
The council will accept a wide range of projects, as stated in the 'What can the CIL Neighbourhood Fund be used for?' section above. However, if there are a number of projects which meet the criteria but not enough CIL funds to be allocated to them all in a CIL area, then the projects will be scored by the assessment panels based on a range of criteria. Those which do will score higher. The CIL area assessment panel will discuss all applications and based on scoring and detailed deliberation, will make a recommendation to the relevant cabinet member which applications should be allocated CIL funding this year.
How will neighbourhoods be defined?
In the absence of parishes and neighbourhood plans, which is the case in Worthing, the CIL Regulations allow the council to design its own bespoke definition of what constitutes a local neighbourhood area for the purpose of allocating the CIL Neighbourhood Fund.
The CIL Neighbourhood funding is allocated based on 'CIL areas' (groupings of wards) where the development takes place.
The aggregated groups of Wards which form the Worthing 'CIL areas' are set out below:
- Coastal East: Heene, Central and Selden
- Coastal West: Marine and Goring
- North West: Northbrook, Castle and Durrington
- North: Tarring, Gaisford and Salvington
- North East: Broadwater and Offington
Note that the Worthing CIL areas exclude any area covered by the South Downs National Park Authority.
See also the interactive map showing the CIL areas listed above, as well as the locations of the projects which have previously been allocated CIL funding:
What funding is available in 2025?
The amount of money which is made available to groups is dependent on the levels of CIL receipts being received by the Council from liable developments which have commenced work in a CIL area during the last financial year. The CIL Neighbourhood funding is allocated based on 'CIL areas' (groupings of wards) where the development takes place, with the CIL receipts pooled and to be opened up to applications if an area has over £10k collected and unallocated.
For the 2025 funding round, a total of around £145,000 of CIL funding is available. The amounts in each CIL Area (rounded down to the nearest £1,000) are:
- Coastal East: Heene, Central and Selden: £93,000
- Coastal West: Marine and Goring: £0
- North East: Broadwater and Offington: £20,000
- North: Tarring, Gaisford and Salvington: £17,000
- North West: Northbrook, Castle and Durrington: £14,000
Who can apply for the CIL Neighbourhood Fund?
To ensure the local link with development, only organisations based in a Worthing 'CIL area' that has accumulated at least £10,000 of CIL Neighbourhood Funds are encouraged to submit project applications. The funds will be made available as part of an annual bidding process.
Projects seeking funding from the CIL Neighbourhood Fund should be community-led and ideally be delivered by a local community organisation, group or club. It is a requirement that the group being allocated CIL funding must be formalised and have a constitution and relevant bank account. The expressions of interest stage will give groups a chance to check if they are eligible to apply, as well as ask for feedback on their project ideas.
What value of project proposals are invited?
The CIL Neighbourhood Fund is intended to support small, local projects. Bids will be considered on their merits, as follows:
- Project proposals can request a minimum of £1,000 and up to a maximum CIL Neighbourhood Fund allocation of £5,000 - note that this is a decrease from the £15,000 limit set in previous funding rounds.
- Project proposals that match CIL Neighbourhood Fund, with other funding sources, will be encouraged - for example, the CIL Fund could be used as the match funding element to secure a larger funding award from other organisations, or could be in the form of free labour being committed by members of the community.
It is important to note this fund will not be able to be used as ongoing revenue support, but will instead provide one-off emergency funding that could help to keep organisations and facilities alive whilst longer term funding solutions are secured. There will be a stipulation that any funding allocated to revenue projects is time limited and that the group or organisation must seek alternative funding before the CIL Neighbourhood Fund allocation runs out.
The CIL Neighbourhood Fund will be available to fund one off project costs. This means there will be no commitment by the council to meet ongoing costs (eg maintenance or revenue costs), beyond the initial funding award. The application form asks for groups to consider the impact of funding the project beyond the initial funding.
Additional CIL Neighbourhood Fund applications to support future phases of a project may however be considered on their merits.
How to apply
The step-by-step process for allocating funding from the Worthing CIL Neighbourhood Fund is set out below:
- 19th May to 29th June 2025: Groups with a project proposal are recommended to complete and submit the Worthing CIL Expression of Interest form (please note that this is not compulsory and you can skip straight to the application form). Groups should complete the expression of interest form if they are unsure if they are eligible to apply, or wish to discuss their project with council officers:
Worthing CIL Neighbourhood Fund - List of application form questions (132KB)- Worthing CIL Neighbourhood Fund - Expression of interest form (currently being updated)
- June and July 2025: A series of networking events will be held which community groups are invited to attend. In these workshops we will be sharing refreshed guidance on the fund and creating opportunities for participants to network, share knowledge about the neighbourhood and develop project ideas. Details of the networking events will be provided in due course.
- 1st September to 12th October 2025: Groups are invited to complete and submit the Worthing CIL Neighbourhood Fund application form - this consists of a simple Google form (some of the questions asked are detailed in the guidance note below):
- Worthing CIL Neighbourhood Fund - Application form (currently being updated)
- November 2025: Suitable projects will be sent through to an assessment panel - the panel is to consist of Elected Worthing Ward Members and specially invited Community representatives who will go through the application forms submitted and evaluate/score each application. The panel will then recommend which projects are to be allocated CIL funding. The assessment panel will complete an evaluation of each project proposal and provide feedback to each applicant.
- December 2025: The assessment panel's recommendations are included in a report to the relevant cabinet member who will sign off on which bids are approved.
More information will be provided in the Guidance Note for applicants which will be available shortly.
All applicants will be asked to submit an application form which will allow the CIL assessment panel to assess proposals against a range of criteria. They will then recommend which applications are allocated CIL funding. The evaluation criteria - which has been revised for the 2025 funding round - which will be used by the relevant assessment panel to review and score each application is available here:
Worthing Borough Council has put together a document which contains some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) regarding the CIL Neighbourhood Fund. This document will be updated as more questions arise throughout the CIL Neighbourhood Fund process each year:
All applications which are allocated CIL funding will have a certain time frame to spend the funds. Therefore, we are interested in hearing about projects that will be able to begin soon. The project will then be monitored to ensure the correct use is made of the CIL Neighbourhood Funds. Regular updates on the project should be provided to the council, along with a report and photos upon completion of the project.
Any bids which aren't successful this year will be informed of the reasons why and will be given the opportunity to reapply next year, dependent on sufficient funds being available in the relevant 'CIL area'.
Previously successful projects
A total of 47 applications were received in 2024 for the third round of CIL funding. The council was delighted to see the range of projects highlighted by applicants. Of the applications received, a total of 27 were allocated CIL funding, based on the evaluation of the assessment panels. This will result in a total of over £200,000 of CIL Neighbourhood Funding being given to the community and voluntary sector in Worthing to help fund some brilliant projects.
The Worthing CIL Neighbourhood Fund Progress Report gives a summary of each of the successful applications who have been granted funding and provides an update as to the progress of the project:
A number of case studies of previously successful groups who have delivered their projects can be found here:
- Waves Music Therapy case study (775KB)
- Humber Avenue Community Allotments case study (227KB)
- Wild Gathering case study (224KB)
The interactive map shows the locations of all the projects which have been awarded CIL Neighbourhood Funding, as well as the five 'CIL areas':
The council has provided feedback to all unsuccessful applicants in previous funding rounds. All unsuccessful groups have the opportunity to reapply in future CIL funding rounds.
Any questions?
Regarding expressions of interest or questions with regard to the Worthing CIL Neighbourhood Fund, please contact:
- worthingcil@adur-worthing.gov.uk
- or phone 01903 221493
See also:
01273 263000
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Page last updated: 30 April 2025