Money earmarked for community, business and environmental projects
Towns and villages across Tonbridge and Malling could benefit from a £1 million investment programme if a council bid proves successful.
Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council is pitching for a slice of the £2.6 billion UK Shared Prosperity Fund which has been created to support town centres, local businesses, community groups and environmental initiatives. The fund is a key plank of the government’s nationwide ‘Levelling Up’ policy.
The bid is due to be reviewed by the council’s cabinet on 5 July. It’s then expected to be submitted next month, with a decision from government due later this year.
If successful, the money would be invested over a three-year period. Outline proposals and projects presented to cabinet include:
- A community grant scheme providing funding for local initiatives
- Funding for youth sport clubs and organisations
- Mobile CCTV cameras which can be deployed to anti-social behaviour hotspots
- Grants to improve town and village centre shop fronts
- Funding for businesses aiming to lower their carbon footprint
- Investment in leisure centre systems to reduce carbon emissions
- A volunteering scheme to boost job prospects for the long-term unemployed
- A retraining scheme for the over 50s
Cllr Matt Boughton, Leader of Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council, said: ‘My cabinet colleagues and I will be scrutinising this bid to ensure it is as strong as possible and puts money where it will make the biggest impact across our borough. A key aim of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund is to build a sense of pride in our communities and I’m confident that these ideas and others we’ll be bringing forward will do just that.’