The Government has today announced the first wave of funding for its Towns Fund.
The first wave consists of £80m that will be distributed between just over 100 towns across England.
The funding received varies between £500k and £1m per town, depending on their application.
Burton-on-Trent will receive approximately £750k as a way of kickstarting their regeneration programmes that will make the high street more appealing for people by increasing access via bus routes and also laying down cycling lanes.
Newcastle-under-Lyme will use its £1m in a similar manner and also to demolish unloved, vacant buildings that are beginning to making the town centre look unsightly.
The Towns Fund is a £3.6bn commitment by Government to ensure that spending is decentralised and give power to local authorities on how they spend money to regenerate their areas.
Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said:
“Our Towns Fund will help to share prosperity across the country and level-up. This £80 million funding for immediate investment is a real boost for our towns and will help them thrive with investment in transport, technology, skills and culture.
“It will give towns across the opportunity to drive economic growth and improve prospects for their communities, which will be vital as the country respond to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. We are fully behind our high streets and will support local areas to build back better.”
