Funding for Ashton under Lyne

Ashton Under-Lyne has been named among the towns set to benefit from the Government’s £1.5 billion local area funding.

The funding comes as part of the Labour Government’s Plan for Neighbourhoods, announced in the House of Commons on Tuesday (4th March).

The Plan for Neighbourhoods will see local high streets, community hubs, and public services ‘transformed and strengthened’, and comes as a wider part of the already-existing Plan for Change.

£1.5 billion will be spread across 75 areas in the UK, with Ashton Under-Lyne being named among them.

Each area will receive up to £20 million in additional funding spread over the next decade, starting in April.

Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Angela Rayner said local communities had so far been ‘starved’ of investment.

“Communities across the UK have so much to offer – rich cultural capital, unique heritage but most of all, an understanding of their own neighbourhood,” she said.

“We will do things differently, our fully funded Plan for Neighbourhoods puts local people in the driving seat of their potential, having control of where the Whitehall cash goes – what issues they want to tackle, where they want to regenerate and what growth they want turbocharge.”

The government will also set up ‘Neighbourhood Boards’ in each of the 75 areas, built up of local businesses, campaigners and residents, who will decide how best to spend the money to benefit their local communities.

In Manchester, many of these boards have already been set up, but will now be tasked with resubmitting their plans with the additional funding budget in mind.

Compared to last time, the list of people who can sit on these boards has also been expanded to include social housing and workplace representatives.

Mayors will also have a role in each board, allowing members to take advantage of their powers and reach to make lasting changes in their homes.

Minister for Local Growth and Building Safety, Alex Norris said: “When our local neighbourhoods thrive, the rest of the country thrives too. That’s why we are empowering communities to take control of their futures and create the regeneration and growth they want to see.

“Our Plan for Neighbourhoods we will deliver long-term funding that will bolster that inner community spirit in us all and relight the fires in corners of the UK that have for too long been left fighting for survival. 

“This, along with our ambitious reforms to streamline the planning system, devolve powers and strengthen workers’ rights, will help get places and people thriving once again.”