The Leader of North East Lincolnshire Council, Cllr Philip Jackson, has welcomed news of a funding boost of up to £20 million for Grimsby, saying it will support the authority’s ambition to build a stronger economy and stronger communities.
The Government has announced that Yorkshire and the Humber will receive a £180 million share of a total of £1.5 billion which will be invested across the UK to ‘foster stronger, better connected and healthier communities’.
The money will support its new ‘Plan for Neighbourhoods’ with 75 communities selected to bring residents and businesses together to decide how best to spend the money in their areas. Grimsby is one of the nine towns selected across Yorkshire and the Humber, getting up to £20 million.
Cllr Philip Jackson said: “This is great news and we warmly welcome this funding as we look to deliver our ambition across North East Lincolnshire of building a stronger economy and stronger communities.
“As we say in our new Council Plan, we cannot effect positive change alone but working with our partners we can move forward to improve lives for children, adults and families. Our ambition in this respect reflects the aims set out in this new Plan for Neighbourhoods and we look forward to working together with others in the coming months to look at the very best investment for this extra funding in Grimsby.”
Once established, individual neighbourhood boards in each of the areas will decide how to use the funding and support – they can choose from options ranging from repairs to pavements and high streets, to setting up low-cost community grocers providing low-cost alternatives when shopping for essentials, as well as co-operatives or even neighbourhood watches.
Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Angela Rayner MP said: “Communities across the UK have so much to offer – rich cultural capital, unique heritage but most of all, an understanding of their own neighbourhood.
“Our fully funded Plan for Neighbourhoods puts local people in the driving seat of their potential, having control of where the Whitehall cash goes – what issues they want to tackle, where they want to regenerate and what growth they want to turbocharge.”
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