Five towns in the East to benefit from £400m pot of money

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced King's Lynn and Thetford are to be included in the government's long term plan for towns scheme.

Five towns in the East of England are set to benefit from a £400m pot of government cash for regeneration and community projects.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt revealed in his Spring Budget that 14 towns across England would be added to the Long-term Plan for Towns Scheme.

Areas in Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Essex could benefit from up to £20m.

They will each be required to create a 10-year delivery plan, setting out their vision for investment.

In Essex, Canvey Island and Harlow have joined the towns included in the programme.

Thetford and King's Lynn were also added to the Norfolk list on Wednesday, after Great Yarmouth's inclusion in the programme in October.

Harlow is also in line for a new arts and cultural quarter

Wisbech in Cambridgeshire was also added, although Daniel Zeichner, the Labour MP for Cambridge, said the announcement was "welcome up until a point, but not anything like as much as we expected".

He said: "What we actually need is the money that our city and region generates back being spent locally on the transport schemes that are so essential to get Cambridge working."

Breckland District Council leader Sam Chapman-Allen said the money would "turbo-charge plans for Thetford"

Sam Chapman-Allen, leader of Conservative-controlled Breckland District Council, said the money could "turbo-charge our plan for Thetford".

James Wild, Conservative MP for North West Norfolk, said: "These are exciting times for West Norfolk."

He added: "By investing in skills, presenting opportunities for people we can boost not only King's Lynn but the wider area of West Norfolk as well."

While welcoming the money, Terry Jermy, Thetford councillor and Labour parliamentary candidate for South West Norfolk, said he believed the investment was "too little, too late" and said it followed thousands of pounds of tax-payers' money spent on developing bids that "all too often deliver no return."

He added: "Towns like Thetford are desperate for investment to improve residents' quality of life and local opportunities."

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Liz Truss, Conservative MP for South West Norfolk said: "Thetford is a fantastic historic town and I am delighted that these funds have been granted which will be a boost for local business, help attract more tourists and improve the lives of local residents."

However, uncertainty remained about how the scheme would work in practice and council leaders questioned whether the money would be better used to support struggling families.

Terry Parish, the Independent leader of West Norfolk Council, said: "More investment is always welcome but at a time when food banks are struggling due to the demand and councils are facing huge financial pressures, you wonder if this money could be spent funding the public services we deliver."

The towns will be asked to develop their regeneration in consultation with local people, including community leaders, employers, local councillors and MPs.