'Fantastic news' - Boston awarded £1.5m to upgrade public spaces
A sum of £1.5 million in new Government funding has been awarded to Boston to upgrade public spaces in the borough.
The windfall was announced by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on Thursday (September 25).
The money has been allocated to the borough through the Pride in Place Impact Fund, which aims to – in the Government’s words – ‘restore pride in place, support community cohesion, and stimulate local economic activity through visible, short-term, community-led improvements’.
Boston is one of six areas in the East Midlands and 95 nationwide set to receive £1.5 million through the programme.
In each area, the money is earmarked for improvements to public spaces through new green spaces, play areas and sports and leisure facilities. It is up to communities to decide how the money is best spent.
In addition to the investment, as part of the Pride in Place programme, local authorities are to be given new powers to reclaim community assets, take action against nuisance businesses, and shape the future of their local high streets.
The money is merely the latest Government funding to be allocated to Boston in recent years. It follows the likes of £21.9 million for the Towns Fund, £14.8 million in Levelling Up money for the Rosegarth Square redevelopment, and £13.8 million in Levelling Up Partnership funding.
Coun Dale Broughton, leader of Boston Borough Council said: “This latest funding is fantastic news for Boston and comes on top of the investment we’ve already been able to secure in recent years.
“It gives us an immediate opportunity to improve the places that matter most to residents, while ensuring local people have a direct say in shaping the town’s future.
“We look forward to working out the finer details in the coming weeks, and then we can start working with our communities and businesses to build stronger, more vibrant towns where people are proud to live, work and visit.”
Jo Brigham, chairman of Boston Town Board, which oversees the Towns Fund, said: “This announcement is great news for the town and allows us to build on the investment and improvements mentioned above, but also on the £20m investment in the Plan for Neighbourhoods Programme (now renamed the Pride in Place Programme) Boston will receive over the next 10 years.
“We know from our community consultation, carried out over the summer the improvements that people are keen to see in our town, and these fit well with the purpose of this additional £1.5m commitment for community spaces, public spaces and high street and town centre re-vitalisation.
“With this additional £1.5m investment in Boston, over the next two years, we will work together to kick-start some of the changes that local people want to see for our town.”