First step to get £20m town boost

THE first step has been taken into unlocking up to £20m for Bedworth. It was one of 19 towns Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said would receive a cash boost in his Spring Budget 2024 announcement.

The cash would be ringfenced for the town but, in order to access it, a board has to be set up. The board has to have an independent chair and its members, which will include the town’s MP, will come up with a number of plans and apply for the cash to pay for them.

While Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council will not be responsible for deciding how the cash is spent, it is the accountable body for funding and delivering the plans. Members of the council’s cabinet were asked to accept and agree the process at a meeting at the Town Hall.

“It will enable us to do a number of great things in Bedworth to level up,” said council leader Kris Wilson. “Because in Bedworth there are a number of pockets which are part of the 17 most deprived out of 22 in the county of Warwickshire. This gives us an opportunity over the next ten years to reduce those inequalities.

“It is fair to say that it came as a bolt out of the blue when the chancellor announced it in his budget statement, but it is a welcome bolt for a change because you never know what you are going to get.

“But this is actually something that will leave a lasting legacy for the residents of Bedworth. So now, the task really is to get on with the job and begin the preparations that are necessary so we can actually start work which residents need and expect us to do as part of the long term plan for Bedworth.”

Michele Kondakor raised concerns about getting the new board, and its members, in place by June 1. She added that she hopes that there will be ‘openness’ about what the money is going to be spent on.