LevellerLive

It did feel a little bit like announcing something that has already been announced. Anyone might think an election was coming.

This morning the Town Deal Prospectus was issued by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government setting out the way forward for towns that have been pre qualified for a new generation of “Town Deals”.

Bridgwater and Glastonbury are the only towns in Somerset on the list of 100 towns across England set to benefit. Initially £16.4m is being set aside to help towns pitch for a share in the £3.6bn Towns Fund.

This we already knew. However ther eis much more  detail about the process set out in this morning’s announcement.

The District Councils that each town falls under has the task of developing a Town Board no later than January 2020 with a view to having a full Town Investment Plan submitted to government by the Summer of 2020. In the case of Glastonbury the task will be led by Mendip District Council who will get £140,000 of government grant to help with the process.

Bridgwater’s bid will be co-ordinated by Sedgemoor and because it is a larger town it will qualify for a grant of just over £160,000

Investment funding could be used for many things to help each community. From redeveloping vacant buildings and land, driving private sector investment by supporting small businesses and ensuring young people have the skills they need to get good jobs. Communities will also be able to consider how they can boost their transport links and increase access to high-speed broadband.