Government talks on Town Deal
LOUGHBOROUGH MP Jane Hunt has welcomed the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Robert Jenrick to Loughborough to discuss the next steps for a Town Deal worth up to £25m.
Loughborough is one of the 100 towns invited to develop proposals for a new generation of multi-million-pound Town Deals by the Government in September.
The money would help to revitalise and improve the town’s public spaces and road networks. Loughborough is the only town in Leicestershire to receive funding to develop a Town Deal.
Ms Hunt took the Secretary of State for a tour of the town along with the leader of Charnwood Borough Council, Coun Jonathan Morgan, to explain the future vision for Loughborough.
Ms Hunt said: “It was fantastic to show the Secretary of State around the town to explain the plans we have and how we are planning to use the investment to improve and revitalise the town. He was hugely impressed with our plans and was eager to hear more.
“We have the Town Centre Masterplan in place which aims to improve the public realm and to increase footfall for local shops and businesses. We are also aiming to increase the number of people living in the town centre to ensure that it continues to be a vibrant place to be. The Town Deal will help us to turn that vision into reality.
“I will be working with Charnwood Borough Council and other partners to push this forward.”
Lez Cope-Newman, chair of Love Loughborough BID, added: “We are delighted that the Secretary of State for Communities took the time to come and visit Loughborough to hear about our plans for the future of the town centre. We are looking forward to working with key partners and Jane Hunt, MP to implement the ambitious plans to transform our town.”
Plans will be released shortly, and a public consultation will follow.