Government funding helps to welcome back shoppers

Councillor Phil Hewitt

Published: Friday 15th October 2021 | 3.56pm

The Council received an allocation of European Regional Development Fund monies of £179,245 from the Government through the Re-opening the High Streets Safety Fund (RHSSF) and Welcome Back Fund (WBF). This funding is designed to support town centres and high streets to recover from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Council’s Economic Development Team has been working in partnership with town and parish councils to identify ways in which the funding could be spent in their areas.  The funding could be used to boost the look and feel of town centre/high streets by investing in additional planting and seating areas to make them more welcoming, events to boost footfall and Covid-19 signage explaining how people can keep safe.

Councillor Phil Hewitt, Portfolio Leader for Innovation and High Streets said “We have been pro-active and worked closely with our partners including Cannock Town Centre Partnership, Heath Hayes Parish Council, Hednesford Town Council, Norton Canes Parish Council and Rugeley Town Council to come up with ideas to utilise the funds to help our town and district centres and I am pleased that all of the funding requests have been supported and that there has been a fair spread of funding across the District.  This initiative has been a great way for the Council to engage with local people and work alongside our parish and town Councils, to use the funding creatively and I am particularly delighted to see some of the events that have been organized.

“We expect to have fully allocated all of the funding before the 31 March 2022 deadline.”

 

 

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