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Government invests in Britain's seaside towns

Communities Secretary, Eric Pickles, has announced the second round of winning bids to a £16m job boosting fund aimed at bringing business opportunities to seaside towns in Britain.

Funding from the Coastal Communities Fund will be given to towns around the country to generate nearly 4,000 jobs, 1,500 apprenticeships, 400 volunteer positions, and to support more than 250 startups.

Each town will receive a grant of up to £2.6m to spend on a variety of projects which can include skills and training schemes, renovation programmes and digital technology initiatives.

The Morecambe Bay Partnership is one of the 20 locations in receipt of the cash, and will be given a cash injection of £490,000.

Mr Pickles announced the investment during a visit to Ramsgate, Kent, where he saw one project that will benefit from the fund by doubling its capacity to support to local businesses and provide mentoring to disadvantaged young people.

The £16m Coastal Communities Fund was raised from the Crown Estate’s marine assets to be reinvested in local areas.

Mr Pickles commented: “It’s a missed opportunity if we don’t tap into the huge potential our coastal towns have to welcome new industries and to diversify their economies so they can become year-round success stories.

“We’ve seen enormous enthusiasm for this Government fund and had to make some difficult choices but the projects we’ve chosen will create thousands of jobs and help many start-up businesses.

“This money will help these towns tap into new business opportunities that will create jobs and boost skills that will benefit the whole community.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Miranda Dobson .