A GOVERNMENT initiative to support struggling towns will see Goldthorpe get a six-figure investment.
The blueprint for the Towns Fund, a £3.6bn central government pot dedicated to ‘levelling up all parts of the country’, has been outlined - with Goldthorpe among the 100 towns nationally to benefit.
Barnsley Council will receive £140,000 allocated to Goldthorpe - with the money allocated to improve the town’s transport, skills and internet connectivity.
Communities and local government secretary Robert Jenrick said: “This government is committed to levelling up all parts of the country.
“We created the £3.6bn Towns Fund to help businesses grow, connect communities and give people the skills they need to succeed.
“But no place is exactly the same.”
Minister for the Northern Powerhouse and local growth Jake Berry said: “We are giving local people in South Yorkshire the money and power to decide what is best for their town because they know their community’s unique strengths.
“Together we can build on the billions of pounds the government has already invested in our towns and the thousands of new jobs and businesses it has delivered, to level up these places across the Northern Powerhouse and beyond.”
The Towns Fund, comprising the Stronger Towns Fund - funding from which Barnsley missed out on earlier this year - and the Future High Streets Fund, a £1bn to redevelop high streets and town centres.
Barnsley Council will now bring together a Town Deal Board including representatives from across the public, private and voluntary sectors to develop bespoke a Town Investment Plan by summer 2020.
Coun Tim Cheetham, cabinet spokesman for regeneration and culture, said: “Barnsley Council are pleased to have been allocated £140,000 from the Towns Fund to support in the development of an investment plan for Goldthorpe.
“The investment plans are expected to increase economic growth with a focus on regeneration, improved transport, better broadband connectivity, skills and culture.
“The Towns Fund capacity funding works alongside plans already underway in Goldthorpe, with the Principle Towns regeneration work recently being agreed.
“Barnsley Council has kick-started regeneration in the area, and the development of a Town Deal is the next step within this process to encourage growth and expansion of our town over the coming years.”
