Colchester Towns Fund: Government grant will help town 'recover' from Covid

Colchester, once the capital of Roman Britain, describes itself as "Britain's oldest recorded town"

A government grant of £18.2m will help an Essex town "adjust and recover" from coronavirus, a councillor said.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak said in the Budget that Colchester was one of 45 towns to be awarded a grant.

Some of the money will be used to improve facilities for younger people and introduce 5G technology.

Local councillor and We Are Colchester advisory group chair David King said the funding marked "a new, exciting chapter for the town".

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We Are Colchester is a public-private partnership which submitted a bid for funding last year.

Mr King said the timing of the grant "could not be better".

"We soon will emerge from the health and economic crisis and these and other town centre projects will help Colchester adjust and recover," he said.

Colchester Borough Council said some of the grant would be put towards improving cycling links

The money will also be put towards the creation of digital work hubs, implementing better walking and cycling links and the restoration of the 1,000-year-old Holy Trinity Church.

We Are Colchester board chair and local businessman Simon Blaxill said the grant would "make a huge different to local people - generating jobs, offering further opportunities to upskill and delivering improved community facilities".

Colchester Borough Council said the investment would make the town "a greener, healthier place to live and work".