Better Places Partnership
On this page, you can find information about the Better Places Partnership which offers support to organisations including local authorities in delivering culture, heritage, and sport-led regeneration projects.
The Levelling Up Places Service has been renamed the Better Places Partnership.
The new name captures our unique position as a partnership of seven DCMS Arm’s Length Bodies, our collaborative work drawing in expertise from partner bodies and other organisations and our alignment with the new government’s mission to deliver better places for communities.
About the service
From April 2023, seven Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) arm’s length bodies– Historic England, Arts Council England, Sport England, The National Lottery Heritage Fund, The National Lottery Community Fund, VisitEngland and the British Film Institute - joined forces to provide support and advice to councils and communities delivering culture-led regeneration projects as beneficiaries of the £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund.
With funding from the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, the Better Places Service team will collaborate with councils and other stakeholders to deliver funded projects by signposting existing guidance, developing packages of practical support, and facilitating knowledge sharing among project owners and stakeholders.
The Levelling Up Fund invests in infrastructure that improves everyday life across the UK, regenerating town centres and high streets and investing in cultural and heritage assets. Over £3.8 billion of funding has been awarded for 216 projects across two rounds, many of which are now underway.
Who is eligible for the service?
The service is available to all organisations in England who are recipients of Rounds 1 and 2 of the Levelling Up Fund. We can also provide advice to a number of other projects supported by the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government.
The full list of eligible projects includes:
- Round 1 list of successful bidders
- Round 2 list of successful bidders
- Capital Regeneration Projects (announced in the Spring Statement 2023
- Local Authorities and Mayoral Combined Authorities in receipt of UK Shared Prosperity Funding.
- Levelling Up Partnerships
A team of co-ordinators and advisors will provide expertise and resources in addition to accessing specialist support from the seven arm’s length bodies through five Area Towns Groups.
Organisations should note that the service will not be able to provide resources or funding to help directly with project delivery; however, we can signpost existing funding sources available from partner bodies.
Our advice and support
The service is able to provide advice and support on a wide range of topics, including:
- Master planning and place-shaping
- Urban design and regeneration
- Collaborative community engagement, co-design and animating capital spaces/projects
- Development economics relating to heritage, sport, or arts
- Operating/Business models of cultural facilities
- Access and inclusion on cultural capital developments
- Architectural design development (RIBA Plan of Work)
- Highways and Public Realm design principles
- Heritage conservation and archaeological risk management
- Programme/project management for cultural capital projects
- Sustainable cultural programming and audience development
- Retrofitting (zero carbon) measures
- Developing investment plans to support UK Shared Prosperity Fund recipients
To help the Service team in their initial assessment of requests, please include the following information when contacting the Service:
- LUF project reference and name (bid title);
- The nature of the advice request (maximum of 500 words); and
- Any time restrictions or deadlines relating to the advice request or project delivery timeline (maximum of 100 words).
Privacy
We will store and manage contract details and information to manage your enquiry. Project and advice details may be shared with the Ministry of Housing, Local Government and Communities. To learn more about how we use and protect our data, check our Privacy Policy.
Get the Better Places Bulletin
Get The Better Places Bulletin:
Every month, the Better Places Partnership newsletter, the ‘Better Places Bulletin’, highlights the work of the Better Places Partnership and our partners in supporting local authorities.
Sign up to the newsletter to get monthly content, including:
- Our work
- Who is eligible for our support
- Case studies reflecting project engagement and support
- Peer learning events
- Useful resources
Peer learning videos
The Better Places Partnership gives local authorities and groups the opportunity to share ideas and learnings with colleagues, like-minded people, and subject matter experts.
Speaker sessions from peer learning events are recorded. The views expressed in these videos are solely those of the presenters and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Historic England or our partners. Any mention of products, services, or companies does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by Historic England or any of our partners.
Levelling Up libraries
Sustainable Operational Management of Visitor Attractions, Heritage Sites, and Museums in Levelling Up-funded projects
Contact Levelling Up Places Service
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Email
[email protected]
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