£24m fund to benefit seaside areas
Press Association
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/24m-fund-benefit-seaside-areas-052209501.html
Eric Pickles says the Coastal Communities Fund will be increased to 28 million pounds …
The first seaside areas which have been successful in bidding for Government funds to boost their economies have been announced.
The six schemes in England to receive money include the first coastal tourism academy in Europe and a project to support sustainable lobster fishing.
The money comes from the £24 million Coastal Communities Fund launched earlier this year and further projects will be announced over the coming months.
The fund will be increased to £28 million next year, said Communities Secretary Eric Pickles. He said: “There is huge potential in our coastal towns that goes way beyond them only being places we visit for seaside day trips and holidays.
“We are seeing opportunities being developed all the time by new industries and the Government is determined to help our coastal towns make the most of them.
“This money will help those towns tap into these enterprises and create the skills and jobs that will benefit the whole community. We cannot afford to waste this chance which is why the Government is committed to increasing the fund next year.
“The successful projects in this first round have enormous potential to make a real difference to their communities that will be far reaching. And this is just the beginning with our fund set to help many more coastal towns in the months to come.”
The biggest award is £2 million to Bournemouth Borough Council over two years to create Europe’s first National Coastal Tourism Academy. Funds will also support coastal tourism businesses. The project aims to create 165 tourism jobs over three years in Bournemouth and 2,100 nationwide.
Barrow in Furness was awarded £900,000 for an initiative to boost growth, with the aim of creating 275 full-time and more than 85 part-time jobs, while the National Lobster Hatchery in Padstow, Cornwall, will receive £150,000.
The RAK Maritime Project will get £757,000 to train 63 young people in East Anglia. The South East Food Group Partnership was granted £25,000 to support the in-shore fisheries industry, while Suffolk County Council will receive £762,000 to create 200 apprenticeships in the low-carbon energy sector.
