East Lindsey District Council has announced a £10m fund for investment in the local area. Aimed to be transformative, the fund will prioritise investment in four distinct target areas: community development, promoting the visitor economy, business support and to boost the attractiveness of the area.
A key part of the East Lindsey Investment Fund is about making the district’s places more welcoming through initiatives that help improve cleanliness, safety, promote tidy and attractive shop fronts, and enhance parks, gardens and public spaces. This would help to attract more people to visit the Lincolnshire Wolds and coastal areas and spend money in local shops, pubs and restaurants, supporting local businesses.
To do this, the council is looking to support more events and festivals that will attract thousands more people to East Lindsey. It is anticipated that a co-ordinated programme of promotion will help raise awareness about the district’s amazing towns, villages and parishes to people from across the country, attracting them to visit and invest in the area.
There is also investment prioritised for businesses, which could support the creation or expansion of employment sites, help them get the skilled support they need or encourage progress on green or environmental projects.
The council wants to engage with the business community more closely to enable growth of the district’s existing economy and also attract new organisations to the area, with a view to growing the number of jobs available to residents.
Community development is another fundamental aspect of the programme, which is committed to ensuring that local voluntary and community groups are supported through funding to address themes and initiatives that are close to the hearts of residents.
Councillor Craig Leyland, leader of East Lindsey District Council, said: “This is an incredible opportunity to create the East Lindsey Investment Fund, and I am looking forward to hearing the community’s project ideas. We are in a fortunate position, that very few councils are, to support these bold investment opportunities and bring about the change that people want to see.
“We want to be ambitious for all our communities and businesses, and we know that there are some phenomenal ideas and a desire to make things happen coming from across our district. I hope that this new fund will build on our recent national funding successes and allow an even greater number of these community devised and led projects to become a reality, continuing to help make East Lindsey a great place to live, work or visit.”
Following its approval the final details of the fund are currently being put in place.
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