Millions in Government money to be spent on improving two towns
INVESTMENT FOR HUCKNALL AND CARLTON CONFIRMED IN BUDGET
TWO Nottinghamshire towns have received nearly £30million of investment to spend on projects including a potential expansion of outdoor markets.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced in his Budget on Wednesday that £20m would be invested in Carlton and nearly £10m would be spent in Hucknall.
The Carlton money comes from the Government’s Towns Fund project, which has already benefitted areas including Clifton and Mansfield, where a town board is set up to decide how money should be spent over the next decade.
The money for Hucknall comes after previous bids to the Levelling Up Fund failed, a decision which the Government now appears to have reconsidered.
Hucknall has been awarded £9,281,283 overall and Councillor
Lee Waters, the Ashfield Independent councillor for Hucknall, said: “Hucknall’s Ashfield Independent councillors have worked on this bid for over three years. We’ve been rejected twice but not let that put us off.
“This money will transform every aspect of Hucknall town centre.
“We worked with the residents of Hucknall to put this together and I can’t thank them enough.”
Projects include a new 3G sports pitch and improvements to the roads and public space around the local cinema.
Improved facilities will also be created at the railway and tram station and a study into expanding outdoor markets.
Mark Spencer, the Conservative MP for Sherwood, said: “Following the initial submission of the fund, I sent a letter to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities recently asking for Hucknall to be considered for funding in the future and so it is fantastic news we have this money coming to Hucknall.”
It is not yet clear how the money for Carlton will be spent, given that the town board has to be set up to make those decisions.
Tom Randall, the Conservative MP for Gedling, said: “Our towns across Gedling matter. They are engines of our economy, offering local jobs and exporting goods to all corners of the world.
“Our town halls and neighbourhoods are the fundamental heart of our communities. But for far too long our towns have been neglected and this has resulted in diminished high streets, rundown town centres, anti-social behaviour, and a lack of good local jobs.”
We’ve been rejected twice but not let that put us off. This money will transform every aspect of Hucknall town centre
Councillor Lee Waters