Spalding is one of 55 towns to get share of £1.1 billion new Government fund for ‘left behind towns’

Spalding is one of the ‘left behind towns’ that will get a new £20 million Government fund.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has revealed a list of 55 places to share a £1.1 billion ‘levelling up’ funding pot which aims to ‘provide long-term investment in towns that have been overlooked and taken for granted’.

Spalding is on the list, along with near neighbours Boston and Skegness.

The Government has promised that local people will get to decide how and where the cash is spent.

The details of the fund are that:

• A ten-year £20 million endowment-style fund will be received, to be spent on ‘local people’s priorities’. Examples of where the cash can be spent include ‘regenerating local high streets and town centres or securing public safety’.
• A town board will be set up to bring together community leaders, employers, local authorities, and the local MP, to deliver a long-term plan for Spalding.
• This plan will be put to residents, with a ‘consultation’ process.
• ‘Regeneration’ powers can be used to try to unlock private sector investment. This could mean auctioning empty high street shops, reforming licensing rules on shops and restaurants, and supporting more housing in town centres.

The Government says that this aims to address the issue of ‘run-down’ town centres and anti-social behaviour. The latter has been a hot topic in Spalding in recent weeks, with traders calling for more to be done on this.

The Government has not spelled out why Spalding is on the list – but it has said funding was allocated according to a ‘Levelling Up Needs Index’ which takes into account things such as skills, pay, productivity and health.

In a statement released to announce the funding, Mr Sunak, said: “Towns are the place most of us call home and where most of us go to work. But politicians have always taken towns for granted and focused on cities.

“The result is the half-empty high streets, run-down shopping centres and anti-social behaviour that undermine many towns’ prosperity and hold back people’s opportunity – and without a new approach, these problems will only get worse.

“That changes today. Our Long-Term Plan for Towns puts funding in the hands of local people themselves to invest in line with their priorities, over the long-term. That is how we level up.”

Levelling Up Secretary, Michael Gove said places such as Spalding and the others on the list has been ‘overlooks and undervalued’.

While it will be for the new Spalding board to come up with a plan, the Government has already pinpointed issues that it feels people want addressing.

These include:

• Improving transport and connections to make travel easier for residents and increase visitor numbers in centres to boost opportunities for small businesses and create jobs
• Tackling crime and anti social behaviour to keep residents safe and encourage visitors through better security measures and hotspot policing
• Enhancing town centres to make high streets more attractive and accessible, including repurposing empty shops for new housing, creating more green spaces, cleaning up streets or running market days

The town boards will be supported by a ‘towns taskforce’ set up by the Government.

What do you think? Where should Spalding’s £20 million fund be spent? Post your comments below or email andrew.brookes@iliffepublishing.co.uk