A once booming seaside town which has since been named one of the worst places to live in England is receiving £20m from the Government to “regenerate” its town centre and high street.
Clacton-on-Sea in Essex is among one of 55 towns to benefit from a £1.1bn levelling up investment to support towns that have been “overlooked and taken for granted” according to Prime Minster Rishi Sunak.
Clacton was once a popular holiday destination, receiving thousands of visitors every summer.
However, the Daily Express reported earlier this year Clacton had one of the worst rates of anti-social behaviour per resident, with 68 incidents for every 1,000 compared with the UK’s average of 17. It’s even been labelled a ‘dump’ by those who live there.
It was further reported that 646 arson attacks, 296 shoplifting incidents, and 3,221 violent and sexual offences were reported in Clacton last year, according to Crime Rate UK.
However, in a story originally covered by EssexLive, it has been revealed the Government has allocated new funding to support residents to change Clacton’s long-term future.
The Government has said it is hoped the fund will “put an end to people feeling like their town is ignored by Westminster and empower communities to take back control of their future, taking long term decisions in the interests of local people”.
Towns chosen to receive the funding will:
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Receive a ten-year £20m endowment-style fund to be spent on local people’s priorities, like regenerating local high streets and town centres or securing public safety.
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Set up a Town Board to bring together community leaders, employers, local authorities and the local MP, to deliver the Long-Term Plan for their town and put it to local people for consultation.
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Use a suite of regeneration powers to unlock more private sector investment by auctioning empty high street shops, reforming licensing rules on shops and restaurants, and supporting more housing in town centres.
Speaking about the funding, Levelling Up Secretary, Michael Gove, said: “We know that in our towns the values of hard work and solidarity, common sense and common purpose, endeavour and quiet patriotism have endured across generations.
“But for too long, too many of our great British towns have been overlooked and undervalued.
“We are putting this right through our Long-Term Plan for Towns backed by over £1 billion of levelling up funding.
“This will empower communities in every part of the UK to take back control of their future, taking long term decisions in the interests of local people.
“It will mean more jobs, more opportunities, and a brighter future for our towns and the people who live and work in them.”
Also speaking on the topic, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “Towns are the place most of us call home and where most of us go to work. But politicians have always taken towns for granted and focused on cities.
“The result is the half-empty high streets, run-down shopping centres and anti-social behaviour that undermine many towns’ prosperity and hold back people’s opportunity – and without a new approach, these problems will only get worse.
“That changes today.
“Our Long-Term Plan for Towns puts funding in the hands of local people themselves to invest in line with their priorities, over the long-term.
“That is how we level up.”
