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Cash bonanza for seaside towns
Cash bid ... Government funding for coastal towns such as South Shields is up for grabs.
LIFE could soon be a beach in South Shields after the Government invited seaside towns to bid for a new wave of coastal cash.
A fund to help support much-loved resorts and create new jobs and prosperity has been announced by communities secretary Eric Pickles and chief secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander.
The £23.7m Coastal Communities Fund has been created to provide struggling coastal communities with money to support new opportunities which can make their towns prosper.
Charities, businesses, social enterprises and local organisations are among those invited to access the massive funding pot.
Seaside groups could use the money to start programmes that can deliver skills training, offer apprenticeships to school-leavers, create new workspaces or support small-scale transport improvements.
The borough’s coastline is seen by council bosses as a key to regeneration.
Work is already well under way at the town’s Pier Parade to create a new swimming pool and leisure complex. National Lottery funding has been used in recent years to restore the South Marine Park in Ocean Road, South Shields, to its 19th century grandeur.
Successful applicants can expect to get a grant of between £50,000 and £2m.
Mr Pickles said he would especially like to see quality bids come in from social enterprises, charities, and local businesses.
He added: “This is a great opportunity for long overlooked seaside towns, large and small, to grab a chance to grow through imaginative and innovative projects that create skilled workers, and provide year-round jobs.”
Coun Tracey Dixon, the council’s lead member for leisure and community safety, said: “We are fortunate that we have a wonderful natural environment in our coastline and, though this in itself attracts million of visitors, it is our job to maximise the potential of this asset.”
“We welcome the opportunity to bid for funding and will be working on our bid in the coming months.”
Applications will be accepted in April.
The prospectus is available at www.communities.gov.uk/publications/regeneration/coastalfundprospectus
Twitter: @shieldsgazpaul
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Weather for Jarrow
Wednesday 23 May 2012
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