An organisation has called for a multi-billion-pound investment to support neighbourhood recovery.

According to the Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods’ (ICON) new report, the Neighbourhood Recovery Pipeline would consist of a timetable that outlines when support is to be delivered to the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods, which ICON argues have not received the large scale, long-term national help they have required.

The report, titled ‘No Shorts Cuts: Towards a National Strategy for Neighbourhood Recovery’, calls for a Government investment of £2-2.5bn annually for the next 20 years to deliver the pipeline.

ICON says that the pipeline would create opportunities to use social investment, alongside both private and philanthropic capital, to support disadvantaged regions, as well as providing resources to facilitate ‘nationwide neighbourhood recovery’.

As part of the strategy, ICON suggests that the 146 neighbourhoods that have received Pride in Place funding should be focused on first.

The report confirms that the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods and the remaining parts of the country have seen the economic disparities between them increase to £10bn over the last 10 years.

However, ICON argues that closing the gap could generate tens of thousands of jobs and unlock new spending power in disadvantaged areas.

To help achieve neighbourhood recovery, the report calls for an increase in local authority funding, as well as the delivery of neighbourhood level programmes to offer further support, and a ‘Neighbourhood Transport Grant’ (NTG) to be distributed by councils in disadvantaged regions.

It also urges the Government to equip councils with funding to provide Neighbourhood Service Hubs to assist the Neighbourhood Recovery Pipeline.

As part of its transformational strategy, the report proposes that local authority-led multi-disciplinary teams are established to identify, triage and help residents, boosting social outcomes as a result.

The report reads: ‘The cost of disadvantaged neighbourhoods is vast not only in terms of higher welfare expenditure and loss economic output, but the demoralisation caused through wasted opportunity for hundreds of thousands of people.

‘The country needs a new spirit of neighbourhood recovery, akin to the effort we took to rebuild the country after the war.’

A Government spokesperson said: ‘Through Pride in Place we’re investing £5bn across 244 communities to tackle deprivation and improve peoples’ lives and the places in which they live.

‘This will help fix decades of underinvestment and give local people who know their areas best the power to shape their futures so we can boost opportunity across the country.’