Communities get up to £20m in government funding

Craig Willis, store manager at a paint specialist shop on Hessle Road, said it was a great street to work on

Six areas in Hull and the East Riding of Yorkshire are each getting up to £20m in government funding to spend over the next 10 years.

The news was announced as part of the Pride of Place fund which ministers said would help revive communities.

Members of the public will be able to submit ideas on how the money should be spent.

Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, said: "We're giving local people the power to transform their hometowns - giving them more control of how money is spent where they live so that together, we can invest in Britain's renewal and build an economy that rewards working people."

'It needs a tidy-up'

The Hessle Road, Greatfield and Orchard Park areas of Hull are set to benefit, as well as Withernsea, Patrington and Bridlington.

Craig Willis, a store manager at Westoby The Paint Specialist's on Hessle Road, told the BBC it was a "great" road to work on and customers often came in and reminisced about the area's fishing heritage.

But he said he wanted to see some of the money spent on tackling anti-social behaviour.

"We have issues where we've got a lot of motorbikes riding up and down Hessle Road at speed and that goes into the Boulevard area as well."

He added that he would like to see a "sense of pride" brought back to to the area.

"It also needs a bit of a tidy-up, it's looking run down."

Paul Hammond, who has worked on Hessle Road in Hull for 41 years, said the funding could be used help improve community safety in the area

Paul Hammond, who has worked at Carl Hammond's Suite and Bed Centre on Hessle Road for 41 years, said he wanted to see some of the money used to prevent crime in the area.

He said the family-run shop, which had been there 63 years, had seen some "good times... and some dark times".

"It'd be nice if we can do something for the traders, as in stopping crime, because the shoplifting is bad. But this [funding] is very good for the community," he added.

Diane Gutmane said Hessle Road needed more lighting to make it safer

Diana Gutmane, who owns A2Z Dressmaker on Hessle Road, said she wanted to see the money spent on safety schemes.

"I think we need more light on Hessle Road and cameras to make it safer. A few years ago I wasn't afraid of walking in the dark but now I use the car instead of walking."

John Celik, who has run the Halfway Cafe on Hessle Road for 21 years, said he wanted to see money go towards creating a variety of shops in the area.

"Not only cafes, butchers or barbers but businesses like jewellery shops and DIY shops - Hessle Road could be good old Hessle Road again," he said.

John Celik said he'd like to see more business opportunities in the area

Residents will be invited to submit ideas on how they think the money should be spent and volunteers will sit on a board to co-ordinate the project.

Funding could be spent on a range of options, from park improvements to fixing up empty buildings and high streets.

Emma Hardy, Labour MP for Hull West and Haltemprice, said the money would be used to make the area "an even better place to live".

She added: "Local people know this area and its needs better than anyone else and that is why the government has decided to do this differently. This is our chance to improve our area by making the big decisions for ourselves."

Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.

Download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices