King's Lynn awarded £25m from government's Towns Fund

A council leader has welcomed the award of a "phenomenal amount of money" for his town from the government.

King's Lynn in Norfolk is to receive £25m as part of the £3.6bn Towns Fund, unveiled in 2019.

It is one of 26 additional areas to benefit from a £610m pot aimed at helping rebuild economies following the coronavirus pandemic.

Stuart Dark, leader of King's Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council, said it was "really great news for the town".

The projects to benefit are split into four general themes: encouraging economic productivity through urban regeneration, planning and land use; skills and enterprise; and infrastructure and connectivity.

Mr Dark, a Conservative, said "This announcement is really great news for the town, as it brings significant external investment to a range of priority projects that combine to deliver major improvement."

Graham Purkins, chair of the King's Lynn Town Deal board, said sums it received through the Accelerated Towns Deal Funding last year had already kick-started its "new school of nursing in partnership with the QE Hospital and the College of West Anglia."

North West Norfolk MP, Conservative James Wild, said the investment would "boost skills, improve the town centre, promote our strong Shakespeare links and heritage, and support new and growing businesses".

Norwich and Great Yarmouth in Norfolk have already been given £25m and £20.1m respectively from the Towns Fund pot.

Other towns awarded funding in this round include Bedford, which will receive £22.6m, while Corby in Northamptonshire will benefit from £19.9m.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said the financial help was intended to kickstart urban regeneration and boost green transport infrastructure, tourism, education and jobs.

More than £2bn of funding has now been allocated to 79 towns.

Areas in the East and East Midlands that have benefitted from the scheme previously include Lowestoft, Colchester, Stevenage, Ipswich, Milton Keynes and Northampton.

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