Towns to get a slice of £3.6bn Government regeneration fund

Towns across Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire will be among places selected to share in a £3.6bn Government fund distributed between 100 communities in England.

Each town is set to receive a cash boost of up to £25m, and 19 communities in Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire are among those chosen to benefit.

All the 100 places invited to develop proposals for a new generation of multi-million-pound Town Deals were today announced by Local Government Secretary Robert Jenrick MP.

The towns eligible for support include places with proud industrial and economic heritage, but which have not always benefited from economic growth in the same way as more prosperous areas.

Communities, businesses and local leaders will now join forces to draw up ambitious plans to transform their town’s economic growth prospects with a focus on improved transport, broadband connectivity, skills and culture.

A total of 42 places across the Northern Powerhouse are among the 100 pioneers of new Town Deals, as part of the Government’s commitment to level up all regions by boosting productivity, skills and living standards.

Jenrick said: “Ensuring prosperity and opportunities are available to everyone in this country, not just those in London or our biggest cities, is at the heart of the mission of this government.

“We want to level-up our great towns, raising living standards and ensuring they can thrive with transformative investment in transport, technology, skills and culture.

“I will now work with local people from the 100 communities announced today to agree proposals to invest up to £25m in each place. I hope these deals will provide the investment and the impetus for long-term renewal ensuring each town can look to the future with a new optimism.”

Minister for the Northern Powerhouse and Local Growth, Jake Berry MP said: “In July, the Prime Minister promised to level up 100 towns across the country, and today we’re delivering that promise.

“The best answers for local people will come from local people, that’s why we have listened to people living in these towns and will support them with a mega £3.6bn fund to drive jobs and economic growth.

“Five years on from the launch of the Northern Powerhouse, we are reaffirming our commitment to the people of the North so they have the support they need to be at the leading edge of a confident, global Britain when we leave the EU on 31 October.”

The Government will soon publish a prospectus to guide towns through the process and set eligibility criteria for funding.

Once approved, new Town Deals will aim to improve connectivity, provide vital social and cultural infrastructure and speed up growth – with communities having a say on how the money is spent. Decisions on funding any proposals will be made in due course.

The Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire communities which will receive funding as part of this initiative are: Brighouse; Castleford; Darlington; Dewsbury; Doncaster; Goldthorpe; Goole; Grimsby; Keighley and Shipley; Morley; Rotherham; Scarborough; Scunthorpe; Stainforth; Stocksbridge; Todmorden; Wakefield; Whitby.