Jenrick unveils ‘Welcome Back Fund’ to help coastal towns

Communities secretary Robert Jenrick has unveiled a new £56m fund to help boost high streets and seaside towns.

According to the government, the Welcome Back Fund will help councils boost tourism, improve green spaces and provide more outdoor seating areas, markets and food stall pop-ups.

But the Labour Party said the money on offer was ‘just a drop in the ocean’.

The regional allocations for the Welcome Back Fund are:

Mr Jenrick has also today announced the first 70 councils who will benefit from targeted, hands-on support from the government’s High Streets Task Force.

‘Our Welcome Back Fund gives every city, town and high street support to prepare for a great summer,’ said Mr Jenrick.

‘This funding will help councils and businesses to welcome shoppers, diners and tourists back safely.
‘As soon as the roadmap allows, we need to get behind our local businesses and enjoy all that this country has to offer and that we’ve been missing so much.’

But shadow communities secretary, Steve Reed said the nation’s high streets are ‘dying’.

‘This is just a drop in the ocean compared to how much the Conservatives took away over a decade when they pushed our high streets and seaside towns into deep decline and it’s not clear which areas will benefit,’ added Mr Reed.

‘The Conservatives have done nothing to level the playing field between high street shops and online retailers. Now they want to hollow high streets out by selling off temporarily closed shops to wealthy developers so they can never reopen as shops again.’

Photo Credit – Jamie Hailstone