In the autumn budget statement, the government confirmed that ‘the Long-Term Plan for Towns will be retained and reformed into a new regeneration programme’.
After a few months of uncertainty, it is great news that this important investment in Boston will go ahead and we look forward to finding out further details.
Jo Brigham Chair of Boston Town Board
This summer we carried out community consultation to understand people’s priorities and ideas on how this potential funding could be spent in Boston and the Town Board started to develop a long-term plan on this basis.
The original programme due to provide £20M (£2M per annum over a ten-year period), was put on hold by the current government in July. We anticipate some changes to the criteria that the previous government had set for the investment; the delay and the anticipated changes mean that the main investment will also likely be later than originally planned. While any delay to investment is not ideal, it will provide us with the opportunity to engage more fully with our communities and businesses.
This funding represents a fantastic opportunity to continue to realise Boston’s potential by bringing meaningful improvements that reflect your views and complement the exciting projects which are already being delivered for the town.
We await further information on the criteria and we will provide an update in due course including how you can get involved in setting the priorities and helping us develop the plan for Boston.
I am pleased this funding has been confirmed for Boston as it provides another opportunity to invest in our town and bring improvements that local people want and need.
Councillor Anne Dorrian Leader of Boston Borough Council
We are already seeing the impact of funding in Boston and working with partners, we have a strong track record of delivering for the town. The Towns Fund projects are well underway and the exciting plans for Rosegarth Square are now starting to be realised.
We are committed to Boston, to working together with the community and with our partners, so that we can build on everything that the town has to offer.
Whilst it is disappointing that the funding is delayed, it does mean that we can have even more conversations with local people so that we can create a plan that is responsive and prioritises the funding effectively.
We believe that Boston’s brilliant! We all have so much to be proud of in Boston and the wider borough and I would encourage residents to celebrate the positives that the area has to offer. I look forward to finding out more about the government’s intentions with regard to the funding, especially how it can be used to make a difference for our community.