Corby £19.9m Towns Fund award a 'big moment', says MP

Corby has been awarded almost £20m from the government's Towns Fund

The award of £19.9m to Corby from the government's Towns Fund was a "big moment" for the town, its MP said.

It is hoped the money will pay for a new sixth form centre and an improved route from the Northamptonshire town to its railway station.

The £3.6bn government fund is intended to help rebuild local economies in the wake of the pandemic.

Tom Pursglove, Conservative MP for Corby, said the government had "enthusiastically backed" the plans.

In March, it was confirmed that Northampton had been successful in its bid for £25m.

'Build on hard work'

The Corby Town Deal Board will now decide how the money will be allocated and which projects will go ahead.

Proposals include regenerating areas of Corby town centre

Plans include re-purposing and renovating Chisolm House in the town centre into a carbon-neutral building that would be a sixth form centre for Northamptonshire.

There are also proposals to improve cycle and pedestrian links to Corby station and use smart and green technologies to better map and monitor use of the town and its facilities.

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Mr Pursglove said the announcement "marks a big moment for Corby - the next chapter of regeneration in our town will now be a reality".

He added: "I will be pressing for the earliest possible delivery of the various projects."

Jason Smithers, leader of Conservative-run North Northamptonshire Council, said the money would "see the town build on all the hard work which has taken place so far".

Part of the money could be used to improve links for cyclists and pedestrians

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) said the financial help was intended to kickstart urban regeneration and boost green transport infrastructure, tourism and jobs.

It is also intended for education and vocational training courses.

More than £2bn of the Towns Deal funding has now been allocated to 79 towns.