Region’s towns and cities through to second round of £675m Future High Streets fund

A number of the region’s towns and cities are through to the second phase of a multi-million fund that aims to transform high streets and make them “fit for the future”.

Erdington, Walsall, Wolverhampton, Stafford and Kidderminster would benefit from the £675m Future High Streets Fund which will help local leaders to reinvent their town centres.

Those successful towns will now receive up to £150,000 of new funding to work up detailed project proposals, based on their initial plans.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government will work closely with them, focusing on those places that have “shovel ready” projects where there might be opportunities to accelerate these.

High Streets Minister Jake Berry MP said: “High Streets are a crucial part of our local economies and people care about them because they are also the centres of their community.

“But we recognise that changing consumer behaviour and the rise of online shopping presents a significant challenge and that’s why we are taking action to help them evolve.

“Many of our high streets are successfully re-inventing themselves and with these new plans now in development, local leaders, who know their areas best, will be driving forward the transformation of their town centres into further great success stories.”

Fantastic to see Walsall, Wolverhampton and Erdington in Birmingham go through to the next stage of the Government's Future High Streets fund bid. Commiserations to those who didnt get through. Lets now swing behind our local bids ???? https://t.co/bH6euZxCKI

— Andy Street (@andy4wm) July 5, 2019