Salford City Council and its partners have approved a £600,000 investment to support neighbourhood grants, youth programmes and community initiatives aimed at improving safety and cohesion across the city. The funding, which is externally provided, was agreed through the city’s Community Safety Partnership — a multi-agency body that includes the council, Greater Manchester Police, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, NHS Greater Manchester and the Probation Service.
Where the money will go
The programme is designed to tackle local priorities including community safety, equality and diversity, safeguarding, and poverty. It has been shaped with input from residents, schools, housing providers and local organisations through community consultation.
- £125,000 for Community Co-Development — in partnership with Belong to embed long-term cohesion into neighbourhood structures and provide direct community grants.
- £80,000 for Community Cohesion Small Grants — funding grassroots neighbourhood groups to hold events and build cross-community trust.
- Targeted youth and educational interventions — including educational theatre aimed at more than 1,000 young people to raise awareness of radicalisation and grooming.
- Skills and empowerment programmes — a year-long social skills course for children aged eight to 16 and a Young People’s Exploitation Conference.
- Digital safety and misinformation work — projects to help young people and families, including those with SEND needs, understand misinformation, disinformation and harmful uses of artificial intelligence and to improve internet safety.
| Programme element | Committed funding |
|---|---|
| Community Co-Development (with Belong) | £125,000 |
| Community Cohesion Small Grants | £80,000 |
| Total announced investment | £600,000 |
What councillors and partners say
The scheme has been presented as a way to make neighbourhoods safer and strengthen local resilience by funding grassroots activity and targeted interventions for young people. The Community Safety Partnership emphasises that the programme aligns with the council’s priorities on community safety, cohesion, crime reduction and safeguarding.
“Discrimination and misinformation can cause division,” said Councillor Barbara Bentham, Lead Member for Neighbourhoods, Environment and Community Safety at Salford City Council, describing the package as a positive response to those challenges.
Local impact and next steps
Officials say the money will support a mix of immediate small grants for community groups and longer-term projects aimed at prevention and resilience. The educational theatre strand is expected to reach more than 1,000 young people, while other elements will focus on internet safety and helping families with children who have SEND.
For community organisations, the scheme offers direct funding routes and support for events intended to build trust across neighbourhoods. For parents and schools, the youth-focused work aims to boost awareness of exploitation risks and online harms. The partnership composition — spanning police, fire, health and probation services — means projects will be delivered with multi-agency oversight.
Officials have not published a full timetable for grant application rounds or the rollout of individual projects. Community groups and local organisations will be expected to engage with the council and the partnership to access the small grants and to take part in co-development activity with Belong and other delivery partners.
For Salford residents, the package signals renewed investment in local resilience and prevention work, with particular emphasis on young people and neighbourhood-level cohesion.
