Boston Town Deal has received news from the government that further funding will be made available to help continue the work to improve and transform Boston. Adding to the Town Deal funding of £21.9m, which is currently delivering projects throughout the town, an additional £20m has been announced for Boston as part of the Government’s Long-Term Plan for Towns. This funding will enable the Town Deal, in partnership with the Council as the accountable body, to continue its role of delivering real benefits to the Town based on the priorities of local people. The funding will be focused on the issues that matter most to local people, including high streets, heritage and regeneration, and public safety and security.
This Town Deal funding is on top of the government funding of £14.8m that has recently been awarded to Boston Borough Council to help kickstart the regeneration of the Rosegarth Square development.
Combined with the UK Shared Prosperity and Rural England Prosperity funding programmes being run by Boston Borough Council, this will result in around £60m of funding being provided to the Town either via the Town Deal or the Council over the next few years.
Further details of how this new funding programme will operate are awaited, following which the Town Deal will put in place a plan to maximise the benefits of this funding based on further consultation with the community to ensure it reflects the priorities of the people of Boston.
The announcement that Boston is one of the 55 towns set to benefit from targeted support
through the Government’s Long-Term Plan for Towns is fantastic news. We have seen the difference that Towns Fund, Levelling Up, and UKSPF are making in the town, bringing transformational and long-term improvements. The Long-Term Plan for Towns represents a significant opportunity that will build on and align with what is already being delivered to enhance Boston’s offer.The government prospectus summarises the potential to repurpose the role of Town Deal boards to take a lead on developing a shared vision for towns and overseeing the funding. We do not yet have the details of what this will look like, but the Boston Town Deal Board’s experience, expertise, and commitment to Boston means it would be able to effectively fulfil this important role for the town with this latest announcement we have further potential to maximise the huge potential of Boston.
Combined with the other funding earmarked for the Town this announcement means that Boston has an unprecedented opportunity to take advantage of a funding package that can make a real difference to Boston improving it as a place to live, work, visit or invest in.
Neil KempsterChair of Boston Town Deal