Scarborough coastal project to receive share of £6m government fund
A scheme in Scarborough has been named as one of 16 ‘Fast Track’ projects that are receiving a share of the £6m Coastal Communities Fund money to help deliver sustainable growth and jobs across the Great British Coast.
As part of the fifth round of the Coastal Communities Fund, 16 ‘ready to go’ projects have been selected to start work to transform their coastal communities in 2018 to 2019 before the main round funding becomes available in April 2019.
The Scarborough Construction Skills Village project is set to receive a £900,000 grant to help tackle local unemployment and skills challenges.
Funding will support local residents into new apprenticeships and jobs in the construction industry, particularly in micro and small construction companies.
The chosen projects are collectively forecast to create over 1100 jobs and are set to attract public and private sector co-funding of £2.4m.
On a visit to one of the ‘fast track’ winners, Disability First “Access Fylde Coast”, Coastal Communities Minister, Jake Berry MP, said: “It’s really exciting to see money from the Coastal Communities Fund help kick start these shovel ready projects, which have the potential to unlock the barriers to development and growth in our coastal communities.
“Investment in our seaside areas, through projects such as these, will provide nothing short of a New Deal for the Great British coast, creating thousands of jobs, training places and opportunities along the shore.”
Disability First, “Access Fylde Coast” will receive almost £1m to boost tourism by improving the visitor experience for people with disabilities visiting the Fylde, Blackpool and Wyre coasts. The project includes training courses for local businesses to support people with disabilities, organising new events and creating trained volunteer access guides.
Since 2012, the Coastal Communities Fund has awarded grants to 295 projects across the UK, totalling over £173m. This has helped to start almost 500 new businesses and create more than 7,000 jobs.
