Following lobbying by Gedling MP Tom Randall, the Chancellor has today announced £20m of funding to breathe new life into Carlton.
This huge funding announcement was made during today’s Spring Budget and is part of an extension to the Conservative Government’s multi-billion-pound Long-Term Plan for Towns.
While delivering the Budget in the House of Commons today, when announcing the £20 million of investment for Carlton, the Chancellor said: “Today we continue to spread opportunity throughout the country. We are expanding the Long-Term Plan for Towns to twenty new places, providing each with £20 million to invest into community regeneration over the next decade.”
Speaking after the announcement, Tom said: “As Gedling’s MP, I have spent hours and hours lobbying Ministers for investment into my hometown and I am delighted that this has resulted in £20 million of investment for Carlton being announced today.
“Our towns across Gedling matter. They are engines of our economy, offering local jobs and exporting goods to all corners of the world. And our town halls and neighbourhoods are the fundamental heart of our communities. But for far too long our towns have been neglected and this has resulted in diminished high streets, run-down town centres, anti-social behaviour, and a lack of good local jobs.
“This £20 million for Carlton will fund and support regeneration projects over the next ten years to enable Carlton to achieve its full potential. A Long-Term Plan to invest in and regenerate Carlton, based on the priorities of local people, will now be developed and put to local people for consultation.
“The £20 million of investment will then be spent on issues that matter to local people, including regenerating high streets and tackling anti-social behaviour.”
This £20 million of investment for Carlton builds on the millions of pounds of investment that Tom Randall MP has helped to secure for Gedling from this Conservative Government, including:
- £2.8 million of Shared Prosperity Fund allocated to Gedling for new sports facilities on the Lambley Lane recreation ground and new accessible facilities on Arnold’s King George V playing field;
- an additional £7 million of pothole repair funding;
- £750,000 of Safer Streets funding for the installation of new CCTV and street lighting to improve safety in Colwick and Netherfield;
- Funding towards the new Arnold Market Place and improvements to Carlton Square;
- £1 million for new lighting and CCTV on Arnot Hill Park;
- £91,279 for multi-sports grassroots facilities across Gedling; and
- over £100,000 from the Swimming Pool Support Fund with Arnold Leisure Centre receiving £98,758 and Carlton Forum being granted £37,398.
When welcoming the news of £20 million investment into Carlton, the Leader of Gedling Borough Council’s Conservative Group, Cllr Mike Adams, added: “Labour-run Gedling Borough Council have submitted two failed Levelling-up Fund bids to Government and have let Gedling down.
“Where bids from the Labour Council were not required, Tom Randall MP has been successful in securing investment into Gedling from Government Departments. We have seen that with the £2.8 million of Shared Prosperity Fund that is being invested into new sports facilities on Lambley Lane in Gedling village and the extra £7 million that is being invested into repairing our roads.
• Read next: All the main points from The Chancellor’s Spring Budget statement today
“My Conservative Councillor colleagues and I have been supporting Tom Randall MP in lobbying Government directly for investment into Gedling and it is fantastic news that this has today resulted in £20 million of investment for the regeneration of Carlton. It goes to show that residents across Gedling Borough can count on Tom Randall MP and the Conservatives to fight for Gedling and secure investment to level-up our communities.”
