Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will publish the full criteria used to invite local authorities to apply for inclusion in the Community Champions scheme.

On 25 January £23.75 million funding was confirmed and allocated to 60 councils and two voluntary groups in England. The funding was to expand work to support those most at risk from COVID-19 and to boost vaccine take up through the Community Champions scheme. This was part of over £7.9 billion government funding provided to councils to help them support their communities during the pandemic. The scheme was specifically targeted at areas where challenges may be greatest due to the local combination of disproportionately impacted groups.

The list of local authorities who were invited to take part in the scheme drew upon a wide range of data sources, including DHSC/PHE long-term data on COVID-19 incidence; data on social integration; and evidence on the prevalence and specific support needs of disabled people in an area.