The leader of East Riding Council, Councillor Anne Handley, has welcomed the Government’s recent decision to invest substantially in the coastal towns of Bridlington and Withernsea
The two East Riding towns are each set to receive £20 million of investment through the Government’s newly announced "Pride in Place Programme". This funding structure equates to £2 million per year for each area over the next ten years, designed to regenerate overlooked areas.
Councillor Handley confirmed that the investment will be crucial to the region’s strategic aims. She stated that the council was "delighted the Government has chosen to invest in two of our priority regeneration areas". The Council Leader further explained that this funding "will form the cornerstone of our coastal economic strategy which is currently under development". The funds are specifically earmarked to help target investment towards "the 5% of our population that live in our most vulnerable neighbourhoods".
The investment is intended to "breathe new life" into the towns, according to Cllr Handley, who detailed how local partnerships would direct the spending.
Councillor Handley said:
“With this funding, we can breathe new life into our towns together with the help of residents, local businesses, and community groups.
We'll be able to improve our parks, our town centres, and community spaces. We can support families and young people, launch new arts and support projects, and make our towns even better places to live.
This is a chance to work together to make a lasting positive difference. for everyone in Bridlington and Withernsea and the board will have an independent chair and will work with the local community ensuring the money is spent in the right places.”
The substantial funding awarded to these seaside destinations is part of a broader Government initiative aimed at regenerating coastal communities and supporting local economies. It is set to be directed towards improving infrastructure, enhancing public amenities, and boosting tourism in both Bridlington and Withernsea. According to a description of the initiative’s goals, the investment will help "create new opportunities for local residents and businesses, ensuring long-term growth and resilience for these much much loved seaside destinations".
The Government hopes that the funding will help restore pride and community cohesion in these areas. Decisions regarding how the funding is spent will be guided by a “Neighbourhood Board,” which will include residents, local businesses, civil society, and community organisations, all working in partnership with the local authority, East Riding Council. The board will be led by an independent Chair.
A Government report on the programme highlights that the boards might choose to spend their funding on various regeneration efforts. Potential projects include the regeneration of a town square, a local community centre or social club, the development of a new community garden, or the rollout of new programmes to tackle homelessness or services to address child poverty and provide essential support to families and young people. Similarly, the funding could be used to address local cohesion issues or fund local arts, cultural, heritage, and sport initiatives.
Steve Reed MP, the Government’s Secretary of State for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, explained that the fund seeks to reverse a decline in local pride. Mr Reed wrote in the foreword to the Government’s report that the impact of this decline "has been corrosive". He positioned the "Pride in Place Programme" as an alternative approach to governance, stating that this initiative is "putting people in control of their lives, and their local area".
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