Great news for the borough as Burnley has been awarded another £12 million from the Government's Levelling Up Fund following a Lancashire wide submission last year.
Included in the newly announced funding are improvements to bus services across Burnley and Padiham, which will see real time passenger information displayed at bus stops for the first time, transport hubs developed at Burnley Bus Station and Burnley Manchester Road Railway Station; and new ‘liveable neighbourhoods’ created in parts of the borough needing regeneration.
Totalling £50million for East Lancashire, the additional investment has been announced as part of a wider package of £2.1 billion which is being used to level up communities right across the UK.
Local MP Antony Higginbotham, who in 2021 secured a £20 million investment within Burnley and Padiham has today welcomed this extra £12 million investment coming to Burnley as part of the next phase of the Levelling Up Fund. Commenting he said:
Improving public transport infrastructure, regenerating our communities, investing in economic growth and delivering for Lancashire. That’s what I, and all of us across Lancashire, are pushing with Government. So it’s brilliant to see the Government recognise all of this with another £50 million investment from the next round of the Levelling Up Fund, including almost £12 million of that coming straight to Burnley.
This new investment will further accelerate the transformation of Burnley, building on the new town centre developments like Pioneer Place and Padiham centre; and the record expansion of opportunities thanks to increased funding for schools and the college.
When placed into the wider Lancashire context of transformation, and the development of National Cyber Force just a few miles away, it’s clear we have a lot to be proud and optimistic about.
Lancashire County Council leader Phillippa Williamson said that it would be “a welcome boost for our county.
A huge amount of work was carried out to identify the areas that would benefit the most from this Levelling Up Fund and it will make a real and positive difference to local communities.
It will be invested in developing a range of complementary projects that, when linked together, will significantly improve the quality of life and opportunities for people across the county, but particularly in Burnley, Hyndburn, Pendle and Rossendale.
Thank you to everyone who took time to provide us with feedback that has helped us to shape our bid proposals. We will now look to progress these plans and work towards making them a reality.
Announced by the Conservatives in 2020 – the LUF aims to help upgrade and improve infrastructure such as bridges and bus lanes, improving the everyday lives of residents. It can also be used to develop town centres and build new facilities, helping local businesses to thrive, bringing new skills and jobs to regions, and revitalising pride in communities that have been historically overlooked.
Commenting, Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove said:
We are firing the starting gun on more than a hundred transformational projects, in every corner of the UK, that will revitalise communities that have historically been overlooked but are bursting with potential.
This new funding will create jobs, drive economic growth, and help to restore local pride. We are delivering on the people’s priorities, levelling up across the UK to ensure that no matter where you are from, you can go as far as your talents will take you.
With schemes in Burnley and Pendle receiving funding in Round 1 of the scheme, Lancashire’s overall Levelling Up investment is in excess of £225 million from the government scheme to date.
