TWENTY SIX TOWNS TO SHARE 600MILLION

Investment will boost local economies, create jobs and new homes, and improve skills. Plans will transform public spaces, deliver green transport links and revamp cultural and tourist attractions. Part of government’s multi-billion levelling up programme 

 TWENTY-SIX TOWNS in England will share over £610 million to boost their local economies, create jobs and help them build back better from the pandemic. These new Towns Deals range from seaside towns like Hastings and Hartlepool to the historic market towns of Long Eaton and Bishop Auckland. The money will help them to grow their local economies, while also carving out new opportunities to reshape the look and feel of their areas. The Deals will help breathe new life into neglected areas or unused buildings by creating vibrant spaces for businesses, community events or much needed new homes. Sustainability is at the heart of many of the schemes with new greener transport infrastructure including cycle paths and pedestrian walkways that will connect areas in the greenest way possible. The Deals will also create thousands of jobs, with many towns investing in opportunities to improve skills through new vocational training hubs that will support high skilled and higher paid jobs in the area for local people. These landmark deals will see hundreds of millions of pounds invested in projects across England including £24.8 million for Long Eaton which includes:

Tackling the eyesore of Galaxy Row, Creating better connections between the town centre, Erewash Canal and West Park, Making better use of the park and the canal Making the Box Office into a cultural hub, Addressing the traffic issues at The Green

Local Member of Parliament, Maggie Throup said: “This £24.8 million is fantastic news for the residents and businesses of Long Eaton and represents the largest investment in regeneration that our town has ever seen. This award follows a tremendous amount of hard work by a dedicated group of volunteers, councillors and council officers and I was proud to be part of the bid. I would like to pay special tribute to Richard Ledger who gallantly chaired the group, ensuring we were able to submit a high quality bid which has now paid dividends.”

Communities Secretary Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP said:  “We are levelling up towns and cities across the country by building stronger and more resilient local economies, boosting prosperity and opportunity in our communities, and helping them build back better from the pandemic.Today I am announcing new town deals in 26 areas, backed by over £610 million investment from the Towns Fund. This will support locally-led projects to transform disused buildings and public spaces, deliver new green transport and create new opportunities for people to develop new skills. This is a boost for communities and businesses across England.”

 Today’s announcement means that 79 Towns Deals have now been agreed - totalling over £2 billion investment in communities across England. This is part of comprehensive action by the government to level up opportunity and prosperity across all areas of the country, including through the £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund, the £220 million Community Renewal Fund and the £830 million Future High Streets Fund. Building successful, thriving communities is at the heart of the Government’s levelling up agenda.  As well as creating town centres that people want to work, rest and play in, the government is delivering the homes that people need where they need them, making home ownership a reality for many young people and key workers in the places they want to live. Last Friday the government announced the First Homes programme which provides a 30% discount to first time buyers.

MAGGIE THROUP URGES TESTS

• As half term comes to an end, Maggie is urging students to take a Covid test as they return to the classroom
• Regular rapid testing twice a week remains the best way to find asymptomatic cases of Covid-19

 Local MP Maggie Throup is urging students to take a coronavirus test before returning to school this week following the half term break. A major testing programme has been in place for students since schools returned in March to identify asymptomatic cases and isolate them as quickly as possible, helping to keep schools open in Erewash. The success of students and staff in building regular twice-weekly testing into routines is testament to their dedication to keeping the virus out of schools and colleges. Rapid testing continues to help find the one in three people with Covid-19 who show no symptoms, allowing them to isolate rather than unknowingly spread the virus, preventing outbreaks from taking hold. Maggie said: 

“I urge all children and families in Erewash to test themselves on ahead of schools returning, and then twice weekly to keep their friends and families safe.

Rapid tests are available to everyone free of charge and by using them regularly, you can find cases of infection that wouldn’t otherwise be found and help stop the infection spreading. One in three people with Covid-19 have no symptoms so can go under the radar without testing. We can all do our bit to keep our schools and communities safe as school starts again.

Secondary schools and colleges across Erewash continue to provide packs of tests to their students so they can take two tests a week. Primary schools are also providing packs to their staff. Everyone is encouraged to test twice a week, with one of the two tests at the weekend to catch cases before starting the new school week. Positive cases identified by rapid testing are confirmed with a PCR test, meaning nobody has to worry about isolating unnecessarily following a positive rapid test result.

 

BUS STOP

Major news this week is that CT4N have issued a new timetable leaflet for the 29 and 16 (renumbered from S16). No change in the 29, but the 16 now runs only on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. On the trains we retain our hourly service to London, gain a Newark-Crewe service, and the Matlock service now terminates at Nottingham (new times to learn there). The Nottingham- Birmingham & Cardiff route goes at the same times. Over 3 weekends, starting Saturday 5th June, Ashbourne Road in Derby will be closed for resurfacing. This will affect the Swift. The Notts & Derby X52 (Nottingham-Derby-Ashbourne-Alton Towers) does not accept card payments. It is cash only. Nottingham City Transport note that the Department for Transport has produced Safer Travel Guidance for Passengers. The £500m. Newark By-Pass plans are being debated. Euston has become the 1st station to display information in British Sign Language, via touch screens. The Great British Car Journey museum at  Ambergate, has opened. Domestic Abuse Counsellors are to patrol railway stations to spot children involved in County Lines drug dealing. The ITV 'Tonight' programme highlighted what a major nuisance E-scooters have become, where they are being trialled, which round here means Nottingham. There are calls for an incident with a concrete lump falling off a lorry, where a driver was killed, not to happen again. A 71-year old cyclist was killed in an incident on the A52 slip road at Spondon on Sunday 30th May. Midlands Connect are looking at better rail services from Leicester to Coventry. 

 

FIGHTING FUND FOR COVID-19

Erewash Borough Council is expected to confirm its receipt of £100,000 towards the ongoing public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic. A report going to the council’s Executive next week (9th June) says the funding has been provided by Derbyshire County Council, which has also awarded grants to the other districts in the county, to support the public health response in the event of a localised or wider outbreak of COVID-19 in the community or in workplaces. Erewash will use the funding to recruit an Environmental Health Officer on a temporary contract to support the team in its COVID-19 work, including reacting to any outbreak, helping trace contacts and making sure that local businesses are following COVID-19 regulations.. In addition, the post holder will be able to help maintain other environmental health duties, from food safety inspections and food business advice through to responding to food outlet complaints. Councillor Garry Hickton, Erewash Borough Council’s Lead Member for Environment, says:

“Erewash continues to work together with all out partner councils in Derbyshire to ensure we remain on alert to respond to COVID-19 issues. This funding is vital to enable us to recruit an additional Environmental Health Officer for nearly two years. The pandemic has been a busy time for our team, which is already investigating suspected workplace-related outbreaks of COVID-19. Since March last year, more than 350 such requests have been investigated in addition to nearly 400 other enquiries not related to the virus.”

 The meeting of Council Executive is at Ilkeston Town Hall on Wednesday 9th June at 10.30 am.