Thirty towns share £725m to ‘build back better’

Thirty towns in England including Hastings, Bedford and Bishop Auckland are to share £725m in government funds to “build back better” after the covid-19 pandemic.

The money will be spent on transforming public spaces, revamping cultural and tourist attractions, and delivering new transport links.

Hastings will receive £24.3 million to invest in a Low Carbon Centre of Excellence to capitalise on the emerging green economy. The money will also fund improvements to Hastings Castle and other public spaces.

Another town to receive money, Hartlepool, will invest part of its £25m deal in a new health and care academy and a civil engineering institute to boost local skills.

The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) said it hoped the funding would create thousands of jobs, with many towns investing in opportunities to improve skills through new vocational training hubs.

Communities secretary Robert Jenrick said: “Today I am announcing new town deals in 30 areas, backed by over £725m investment from the Towns Fund. This will support locally led projects to transform disused buildings and public spaces, deliver new green transport and create new opportunities for people to develop new skills. This is a boost for communities and businesses across England.

“Today’s announcement means that 83 Towns Deals have now been agreed – totalling over £2 billion investment in communities across England.”