THOUSANDS of pounds are being made available to community groups to improve their neighbourhoods. The borough council is inviting groups in six Worthing wards to bid for money which can be invested in projects such as footpaths, cycleways and play facilities. The funds will be applied from the Community Infrastructure Levy, CIL, which is a charge which local authorities can levy on new development in the area. Under government regulations, the council collects money from developers building new projects to make investments for the wider public good. Now officers are opening up the CIL Neighbourhood Fund for bids from local community groups. The Neighbourhood Fund is a small part of the overall CIL pot from development.