Communities in Sussex will get a £200,000 cash injection to help ensure they do not feel neglected by Government.

Ministers are concerned that despite efforts to help poorer areas - with Sure Start Centres, better public housing, tax credits and neighbourhood policing teams - many white working class families still feel they are being ignored or not getting a fair deal.

The Communities Department fears this can fuel racism and extremism, particularly against a background of higher unemployment and rising immigration, and so is ploughing cash into parts of Sussex where people are said to be dissatisfied with their local area and suffer from growing anxiety about the future.

The areas set to benefit are Whitehawk (£50,000) and Moulsecoomb and Woodingdean (£50,000), both in Brighton, Greater Hollington and Ore Valley in Hastings (£50,000), and Bewbush and Ifield in Crawley (£50,000).

The areas, among 57 chosen to receive second round funding from the £12m Connecting Communities programme, were identified by examining data around cohesion, deprivation and crime, perceived unfairness in the allocation of resources and feedback from people working locally.

The cash may be used to help young people join training schemes, curb anti-social behaviour, communicate with residents to ensure they are getting the most out of local services and tackle the sense from young people that there is nothing to do in their neighbourhood.