Meeting of the Parliament 17 June 2026 [Last updated 15:26]
I am grateful to Alan Brown for his continued interest in the matter. The cashback for communities programme is focused on delivering impact at the local level. He is obviously very interested in the programme, so I am happy to discuss it with him further, and I invite him to engage on it. Having listened to feedback from stakeholders, we have redesigned the programme specifically to strengthen the links with local communities, which are so important.
In the most recent phase of the programme, which started on 1 April this year, 35 of the 51 funded projects are neighbourhood focused, and they meet the local priorities identified through community planning partnerships. In Alan Brown’s area, projects such as the Cumnock Juniors Community Enterprise play a critical role in engaging young people locally and building links with the broader community in East Ayrshire, which is so vital in the preventative space.