Town asked how it wants to spend £20m funding

Funding would be used to strengthen communities in Washington, the council said

A town's residents are being asked how more than £20m of funding for the area should be spent.

Washington, in Sunderland, was one of 75 places chosen to receive money over the next 10 years under the government's Plan for Neighbourhoods programme.

Sunderland City Council has opened an online consultation and said it would put on engagement activities over the summer and autumn to reach as many residents as possible.

A plan would be submitted to the government over the winter so funding for projects could be released from spring 2026, the Labour-led authority said.

The government announced a total of £1.5bn in funding earlier this year to "restore pride in Britain's neighbourhoods".

The local authority said it wanted to use the money to build "thriving places" and "strengthen its communities".

It said insights from residents would be "crucial".

Chair of the Washington Neighbourhoods Board Ellen Thinnesen said it would use feedback and existing data to identify "priority actions and areas for investment".

"We want residents to tell us what they'd like their future Washington to be like, what's important to them in life, what ideas they have for improving Washington, and for creating new opportunities for them and their family," she said.

Face-to-face engagement with young people across schools and academies would begin after the holidays, the council added.