Grimsby set to receive £20-million funding after being described by Whitehall as a 'left-behind' town

 

'Left-behind' Grimsby is to receive £20-million funding over next ten years

MORE Whitehall cash is to cascade into Grimsby in a bid to restore confidence and prosperity to the area.

Over the weekend, it was announced that a total of 55 'left behind' towns will be funded to the tune of £20-million each over the next ten years to help regenerate high streets, tackle anti-social behaviour and 'secure public safety'.

A network of 'town boards' will be set up, each aimed at bringing together the local authority, the MP and 'community leaders'.

However, it is not known if Grimsby will have its own board or if it will be shared with another town such as Scunthorpe or even Doncaster.

The other 55 locations earmarked for funding are: 

* Mansfield 

* Boston 

* Worksop 

* Skegness 

* Newark-on-Trent 

* Chesterfield 

* Clifton (Nottingham) 

* Spalding 

* Kirkby-in-Ashfield 

* Clacton-on-Sea 

* Great Yarmouth 

* Eston 

* Jarrow 

* Washington 

* Blyth (Northumberland) 

* Hartlepool 

* Spennymoor 

* Darwen 

* Chadderton 

* Heywood 

* Ashton-under-Lyne 

* Accrington 

* Leigh (Wigan) 

* Farnworth 

* Nelson (Pendle) 

* Kirkby 

* Burnley 

* Hastings 

* Bexhill-on-Sea 

* Ryde 

* Torquay 

* Smethwick 

* Darlaston 

* Bilston (Wolverhampton) 

* Dudley (Dudley) 

* Castleford 

* Doncaster 

* Rotherham 

* Barnsley 

* Scunthorpe 

* Keighley 

* Dewsbury 

* Scarborough 

* Merthyr Tydfil 

* Cwmbrân 

* Wrexham 

* Barry (Vale of Glamorgan) 

* Greenock 

* Irvine 

* Kilmarnock 

* Coatbridge 

* Clydebank 

* Dumfries 

* Elgin

Says Prime Minister Rishi Sunak: "Towns are the place most of us call home and where most of us go to work. 

"But politicians have always taken towns for granted and focused on cities.  

"The result is the half-empty high streets, run-down shopping centres and anti-social behaviour that undermine many towns’ prosperity and hold back people’s opportunity.

"Without a new approach, these problems will only get worse.  

"That changes today. Our Long-Term Plan for Towns puts funding in the hands of local people themselves to invest in line with their priorities, over the long-term. 

"That is how we level up."

The Grimsby News says:  A gift horse must never be looked in the mouth. There is no question that £20-million will be a tonic if spent wisely. But what a depressing reflection on the status and reputation of Grimsby and its counterparts elsewhere that Whitehall describes them as 'left behind towns'. It almost an accusation of fecklessness - that we are incapable of pulling ourselves up by our own bootstraps. And how optimistic can we be that the hand-out will not be swallowed up in bureaucracy, red tape, the inevitable plethora of artist's impressions and vested interests with an eye for the main chance? One can just hope and pray that whoever is chosen (or elected) to spearhead and oversee Grimsby's  cash-allocation process is a  charismatic and visionary individual of impeccable integrity and with a readiness to lay his or her reputation on the line for the good of the town and its people.