City's green spaces set to bloom after £500k boost

The funding will be used to improve areas across the city centre with the hope of attracting more people

City centre green spaces are set to be given a new lease of life thanks to a funding boost of £500,000.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council has been awarded the Green Spaces grant through the government's High Street Accelerators Programme.

The money will be spent setting up projects to improve the city centre with the aim of attracting more people to the area.

The chair of the city's High Street Accelerator Board, Michael Escolme, said the funding "will help to bring wider attention to the many fantastic cultural events and small businesses that make Stoke town their home".

The Green Spaces Funding is in addition to the £237,000 the council was previously awarded through the scheme last year.

The council said that money was being spent on CCTV in the city centre and cleaning up litter as well as supporting events like an annual food festival.

It said the new funds would complement that work as well as being spent working with communities and businesses to reduce the number of empty shops and run-down buildings.

Councillor Finlay Gordon-McCusker, cabinet member for Transport, Infrastructure and Regeneration, said the local authority was keen to hear ideas from residents.

"It is important that the money we have secured is used well, and for the benefit of our local communities and residents," he said.

"So we want to hear from you about how you would like to see this money spent."