Extra £20m worth of Government cash revealed for town

Dewsbury is among towns across the UK to receive a £20m boost as part of a new Long-Term Plan outlined by the Government.

The money is intended to give local authorities more certainty to deliver long-term projects over the next 10 years.

This funding builds on the existing Towns Fund, a £3.6bn Government initiative to help towns address issues that are blocking growth, boost the local economy, and improve the lives of local people.

Kirklees Council received £25m of Towns Fund money in 2021, which it will be using to deliver its Dewsbury Blueprint programme of improvements.

The council says it cannot confirm what the most recent funding will be spent on, but explains it will work closely with the Dewsbury Town Deal Board, which was set up by the council when it received the initial funding for Dewsbury back in 2021.

Commenting on the £20m funding award, Councillor Cathy Scott, leader of Kirklees Council, said: “This is tremendous news for the future of Dewsbury.

“Our blueprint plans perfectly align with the Government’s intentions for the funding, which are to improve and future-proof local areas by approaching development opportunities from every possible angle.

“We’re just a short time after receiving the news, so exactly how this funding will contribute to our plans for Dewsbury is yet to be decided.

“We’ve been working tirelessly in recent years to make sure the Dewsbury Blueprint will live up to our high aspirations for the town centre, and with current financial constraints – not just for our council but nationally – it’s more important than ever that we do our due diligence when putting this funding to good use, and that we continue to really focus on what will bring the greatest benefit to local people.

Keith Ramsay, chair of the Dewsbury Town Deal Board, added: “We’re really excited to hear that the Government are almost doubling their investment in Dewsbury.

“This will potentially allow us, as a board, to implement more of our fantastic ideas for the town’s improvement.

“It could also allow us to better sustain more of our existing plans, which is absolutely crucial – because throughout this work we’re focusing on the future of the town and those who’ll enjoy it for many, many years to come.

“The board will meet in the coming weeks to start discussing how this funding will be allocated.”