Burton awarded £22.8m to improve town

Burton has been awarded £22.8 million by government to improve the town.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak confirmed in his Budget that the town would be one of seven to receive cash, as part of the government's Town's Fund programme.

The council's Town Deal Board submitted a Burton Town Investment Plan in December, which has now received funding via the Chancellor's Budget.

Chair of the Town Deal Board, Ben Robinson (pictured), commented: “We are delighted to have secured £22.8 million of funding for the town - which will be a vital cash injection into our community at such a difficult time.

“When we started this project, we knew how important this funding was for the future prosperity of the town but the impact of Covid-19 on our community has made this money even more important.

“The pandemic has not only been devastating in health terms but also for our businesses and jobs, so to have secured this investment at this time is crucial to our future wellbeing.

“We are now able to push forward with the projects that have been identified by the consultation process and I 'm excited about what can be achieved and what an impact it can have on our town. ”

The town deal funding will support a new university learning hub, enhancing High Street in the town, establish an enterprise hub at the Market Hall building, new pedestrian and cycle crossing over the River Trent and improve towpaths on the Trent and Mersey canal.

Over the course of the next month, the chair of the Board and East Staffordshire Borough Council, as the accountable body, will discuss and agree Heads of Terms with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government regarding the terms of the grant.

Following this, the town has 12 months to create and assess business cases for each of the interventions being supported by the Towns Fund.