Sectors - Commercial

Towns Get £80m Boost from Government



More than 100 towns throughout England are to be given £1 million to help kick start regeneration projects and give local areas a boost, as announced by Robert Jenrick on Friday 25th September 2020.

The funding will range from £500,000 to £1 million per town and is to be used to support projects that will make a difference to the local area, such as new green spaces, the creating of pop-up business spaces, the pedestrianising of streets to encourage walking or cycling and the creation of new community hubs to support those living alone.

Among the projects to benefit is Burton on Trent’s High Street Regeneration, which has been awarded £750,000. This funding will help with improvements to make the high street a more pleasant place to visit with new bus access and cycle lanes so the public can visit it more easily.

In Newcastle-under-Lyme, £1 million in funding will help boost the town’s regeneration plans. The money will help to demolish unloved buildings to make way for a new chapter in the town’s history.

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said: “Our Towns Fund will help to share prosperity across the country and level-up. This £80 million funding for immediate investment is a real boost for our towns and will help them thrive with investment in transport, technology, skills and culture.

“It will give towns across the opportunity to drive economic growth and improve prospects for their communities, which will be vital as the country respond to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. We are fully behind our high streets and will support local areas to build back better.”

The new investments will give areas in all corners of England the opportunity to drive economic growth and improve prospect for their communities. This is vital as the country continues to respond to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The funding is part of the overall £3.6 billion Towns Fund, with this initial funding shared out to get projects off the ground and give local areas the boost the really need.

All 101 towns selected to work toward a Town Deal have been given a funding allocation with proposals submitted to the Ministry for Communities, Housing and Local Government in August, before being reviewed by officials with a final decision being made by Ministers. Town Deals build directly on the government’s commitment to decentralising funding and decisions away from Whitehall and investing in the growth of local economies and devolving powers through ambitious City and Growth Deals, providing more than £9 billion of funding to Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) and introducing 8 metro mayors in England.

The government is working with councils and LEPs to create better transport links, more connectivity and world-class education opportunities across the country.

If you would like to read more like this, then please click here

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter >>