New regeneration plans set to level up Hull and Sandwell
Both boroughs will become the first in England to receive £20m each in a bid to improve the areas for local residents.
Levelling up partnerships, which were announced in the spring budget, will see tailored regeneration plans rolled out across 20 of England’s most in-need areas. The destinations have been selected following analysis outlined in the levelling up white paper which considered places against metrics such as educational attainment, gross pay, and life expectancy.
Following this, Sandwell and Hull have been confirmed as the first two areas to receive bespoke support, backed by up to £20m each in the new funding.
‘Levelling Up Partnerships are about delivering long term solutions for local areas, working closely with communities on tailored interventions to overcome their unique challenges and seize new opportunities,’ said Michael Gove. ‘That’s why I’m thrilled to be announcing the first two Levelling Up Partnerships in Sandwell and Hull today backed by £40m of government funding.’
Mr Gove added: ‘No matter where you live in the UK, everyone should be given the chance to stay local, but go far.’
As it stands, Hull has a growing green energy sector, with a range of employment opportunities including the manufacturing of wind turbine blades. Working with Hull City Council, the Department of Levelling Up will invest in improved training facilities, including investing in the city’s colleges, which will train the next generation of workers to bring Hull to the cutting edge of the green energy sector.
In addition, Sandwell’s funding has been given to improve the area’s historically low educational attainment and health outcomes – it has the highest rate of obesity for children in Year six in England. Sandwell will be given £2m to develop facilities in the Millennium Community centre, providing space for pop-up health hubs and £1.65m going towards Wednesbury’s green spaces.
As well as this, Sandwell’s transport links to other areas of the West Midlands have remained strong, but to build on this, the borough will be getting £11.5m to help deliver over 600 homes in the vicinity of new and improving transport infrastructure, including the West Midlands Metro extension from Wednesbury to Brierley Hill.
Although just Hull and Sandwell have been named as areas set to receive funding, other regions in England are set to benefit and these will be revealed in the coming weeks.
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