27.02.18
Bidding opens for £40m funding to boost coastal communities
A multi-million pound fund to transform the UK’s coastal communities opened for its next round of bids yesterday.
The Coastal Communities Fund (CCF) aims to transform communities through investment in jobs, skills and local businesses, and to date 500 new businesses have been created, supporting over 5,500 extra jobs.
Berry announced that the £40m fund has opened for bids whilst visiting Barrow-in-Furness to see how the fund has delivered economic benefits to the Cumbrian town.
Making the announcement, coastal communities minister Jake Berry said: “Coastal communities up and down the country from Barrow-in-Furness to Brighton have been boosted by this funding which has spurred inward investment, sustainable growth, new jobs and exciting economic opportunities for local businesses.
“By 2020, we’ll have invested nearly a quarter of a billion pounds in our seaside areas, providing thousands of jobs, training places and opportunities along the great British coast.”
Since its introduction in 2012, the CCF has awarded grants to 295 projects across the UK, totalling £174m, and according to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, analysis has found that every £1 invested has the potential to create an £8 boost to coastal economies.
Top image: neilkendall
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