Northumberland town centre set for £750,000 boost aimed at helping communities thrive

Blyth was selected in 2019 as one of the 101 beneficiaries of the £3.6billion Towns Fund, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson announcing in June this year that some of the funding would be made available now as part of recovery efforts during the coronavirus pandemic.

Proposals were submitted in August and on Friday, September 25, Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick announced that seven towns in the North East will be receiving up to £1million, including £750,000 for Blyth.

“This Government is levelling up across the North East and getting vital projects off the ground which make a real difference to our local communities and help our towns thrive,” he said.

The funding is ‘to support projects that will make a difference to the area immediately’.

Ian Levy, the Blyth Valley MP, said: “Bowes Street and the surrounding streets form a retail area with so much potential and some great businesses. But over a long period of time, this northern gateway to the town centre has suffered from neglect with the public realm tired and in very poor condition.

“In early summer, I was asked by the Government for projects that were ‘shovel-ready’ and could be brought forward as part of the Town Deal for Blyth. A scheme with Bowes Street at the heart was the obvious choice with funding not previously available to make improvements on this scale.

“Once the Government funding was in place, it allowed the county council to develop and finalise the plans.

“This investment, the Future High Streets Fund bid and the progress on the Northumberland Line means there is much to look forward to in Blyth and across the constituency in the coming months.”

The Towns Fund has courted controversy with allegations of taxpayers’ money being used for political purposes, after analysis by The Times showed that 61 of the 101 towns chosen in September 2019 were in marginal seats, and a National Audit Office (NAO) review of the selection process revealed that some of those selected were classed as low-priority areas, with some high-priority towns missing out.

Earlier this month, The Times reported that Mr Jenrick and Northern Powerhouse Minister Jake Berry were ‘responsible for final decisions on which towns were selected’, but the Government said that the NAO’s ‘detailed report shows officials oversaw a robust and objective process’.

Mr Levy, elected in December 2019, is the first Conservative MP for Blyth since the constituency was formed in 1950.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

The dramatic events of 2020 are having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers and consequently the advertising that we receive. We are now more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news by buying a copy of our newspaper.