Hastings Council wants to boost the town's education

The money from the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund (NRF) will go to Hastings and Brighton and Hove.

It is aimed at tackling crime, improving poor health, housing and education and creating jobs.

It comes as part of a �400m package of NRF funding for deprived areas across the UK.

Local authorities in Hastings and in Brighton and Hove will each get more than �1.3m to spend on improvements to the communities.

Boost for education

In Hastings the money is expected to be spent on projects aimed at boosting education.

They will include the appointment of dedicated tutors to improve school attendance and educational achievement, focusing on families in "challenging circumstances".

The funding will also be used to create a scheme to help improve literacy and numeracy among adults, aimed at providing parents with skills to help them get involved with their children as they learn.

In Brighton and Hove the NRF money is to be centred on the Kingswood/Milner estate, a small pre-war estate with a high ethnic population.

Local people know best what the priorities of their neighbourhood are Barbara Roache, Minister for Social Exclusion and Equality

The scheme aims to improve community facilities on the estate, while the government also hopes it will see police response times improve in the area.

It is also looking to bring closer relations between schools and voluntary groups and families on the estate - particularly those for whom English is not the main language.

Minister for Social Exclusion and Equality, Barbara Roche said: "Local people know best what the priorities of their neighbourhood are.

"In Hastings, funding is going towards the appointment of dedicated tutors to improve school attendance, whilst in Brighton and Hove it will help improve local community services.

"That's why the partnership approach is key to neighbourhood renewal, by reflecting what the community wants and transforming the way services are delivered to the people who need them most."