Communities in seven areas across England are set to benefit from up to £179m in new Town Deals, Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick announced on 27 October 2020.

Barrow-in-Furness, Blackpool, Darlington, Peterborough, Norwich, Torquay and Warrington are the first of 101 places to be offered a Town Deal and work will now begin with these areas to confirm final funding. These areas will have the opportunity to invest in their local economies at this critical time, implementing proposals submitted to the government’s £3.6bn Towns Fund, which has been designed to create jobs and drive growth across the country.

Forming a cornerstone of this government’s “levelling-up agenda” to help reshape our towns and cities into places where businesses and communities can thrive, these landmark deals will see millions invested in projects across the country including:

• £39.5m to be used to update the Blackpool Illuminations, for a return to tourism after the COVID-19 pandemic, which used to attract 4m visitors and bring in £284m a year, and to support the development of the Blackpool Airport Enterprise Zone.
  £21.9m to modernise Torquay town centre, transforming it into a retail and leisure destination for people visiting, working and living in the town as well as improving transport links with a new focus on walking and cycling routes.
• £22.9m investment for Peterborough to lay the groundwork for low carbon living, supporting healthy lifestyles and encourage enterprise and innovation. Planned projects include a skills centre for green technologies, an enterprise hub and a new pedestrian bridge.

This latest funding builds on the government’s wider package of measures to help protect and support communities, business and jobs through the COVID-19 pandemic. Ministers will remain in conversation with local leaders over the appropriate coronavirus alert levels for their areas, including any further support that might be required.