Councils' relief as chancellor honours £20m funding

Chancellor Rachel Reeves said she would honour up to £20m of Long-Term Plan for Towns funding

Three councils have spoken of their relief that up to £20m of funding previously pledged to them will be honoured by the chancellor.

Great Yarmouth Borough Council, Breckland District Council and King's Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council were concerned Rachel Reeves might have abandoned the Long-Term Plan for Towns funding allocated by the Conservative administration.

In the Budget Reeves said she was committed to the funding, but senior council figures said they noted the change of wording on the pledge, from £20m over 10 years to "up to" £20m.

Sheila Oxtoby, the chief executive of Great Yarmouth Borough Council, said: "It means there will be further investment we can make within the town."

Sheila Oxtoby says she is hopeful their consultative work will persuade the government to offer the full pledge

Ms Oxtoby said with the £2m per year over the next decade, the council would take over empty properties and develop youth centres, as well reinstate street cleaning which had been cut owing to budget constraints.

She added: "There was one line in the detail of the budget which we've found and since then we've had it confirmed by officials that the Long-Term Plan for Towns funding will be retained.

"We have been reassured that all of the work we've done so far, all the engagement we've done with the community and stakeholders won't be lost, so they will build on the work we've already done."

Alistair Beales says he is delighted the funding pledge has been honoured

Alistair Beales, the leader of the Borough Council of King's Lynn and West Norfolk, said there was an element of uncertainty when Labour took office.

He added: "There always is with a change of government, but I'm delighted that the government has recognised the need for continued investment in King's Lynn and the other towns. It's great news.

"The devil is in the detail and I think the communication from the government says up to £20m, but we are ever hopeful and we will put a good case forward.

"It's [about investing in] the culture in King's Lynn and the town centre and importantly, the River Great Ouse which runs through the middle of King's Lynn. We aren't making the most of that; we can do more and this money will be a huge help in that."

Vicky Etheridge, the manager of the business group Discover King's Lynn, said about 1,100 people took part in a consultation over what the money should be used for.

She added: "Great that the fund is going to go ahead... we will make the most of it however much we get.

"Consultation is always hard; people have lots of ideas, but there's always a bit of scepticism about whether it will happen and whether you're really listening so, I think we are really pleased with the number of people that took part and the kind of messages that we've got.

"We've got some really thoughtful responses and there was a lot of agreement and consensus over the things that people said, which was super helpful."