Brad Ryan
UKIMEA Press Office,London
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has appointed Arup to lead a multidisciplinary consortium to help local authorities across England access the £3.6 billion Towns Fund. The consortium brings together leading organisations across the professional services sector, including Copper Consultancy, Grant Thornton UK LLP, FutureGov, Nichols and Savills.
A key part of the ‘levelling up’ agenda, the Towns Fund looks to support the regeneration of communities that have not benefited equally from UK growth, empowering 100 towns across the country to shape their own futures by granting them access to the necessary resources to plan and manage their public works projects.
Through the funding, local authorities will drive their long-term economic growth and productivity by targeted investment in transport, regeneration and town centres, supporting businesses and skills training. It will also allow towns to strengthen their economic, social and environmental resilience, an objective that has taken on renewed importance as the UK plans its economic recovery in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis.
To access the fund, local authorities will work alongside the consortium as they engage with their communities, public and private partners and investors to develop their own proposals for a ‘Town Deal’ to MHCLG.
