£8m Levelling Up fund awarded to Grimsby to boost industry

Grimsby has attained £8m worth of government funding which will go towards repairing vital bridges connecting the town to Immingham and boosting local industry.

Levelling Up Secretary Greg Clark made the announcement yesterday, with the money set to prevent road closures and secure jobs within the region.

Funding will fix the damaged bridges along the A180, a route which connects the region’s ports, serves residents and tourists and provides around £2.5bn to Grimsby’s food processing Seafood Cluster each year.

Mr Clark said: ‘The work to level up vital towns like Grimsby requires acting on what local people say is important and acting on what local people want – including local infrastructure.

‘The funding we are announcing today will provide a vital lifeline for Grimsby’s industry now and in the future and I am looking forward to seeing how our investment is helping local communities to flourish and further unlock the area’s potential.’

Grimsby was part the pilot Town Deal area, where different towns were encouraged to put together innovative plans for the area and bid for funding under the Towns Fund.

The government has awarded the area £45m through the pilot, Towns Fund and Future High Streets programmes to support the regeneration of the area, including plans for 129 new low-carbon homes.

Cllr Philip Jackson, the Leader of North East Lincolnshire Council, said: ‘I am delighted that our collaboration with government on the levelling up agenda is bearing fruit. The key infrastructure investment announced today, as well as our work with Homes England, focused on Garth Lane and wider town centre regeneration, are essential elements of our drive to deliver sustainable local economic growth for our residents, our communities and our businesses. I look forward to our collaboration with Government continuing.’

Photo by Rui Chamberlain