Blyth among 55 towns to receive new regeneration funding, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announces

The town will receive £20m over a ten-year period and the Blyth Town Deal Board, formed of community leaders, business owners, and politicians, will decide how the money is spent.

The policy was announced by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak ahead of The Conservatives party conference this week.

Ian Levy, Conservative MP for Blyth Valley, said: “I am delighted that Blyth has been selected as one of the first 55 towns to benefit from the Conservative government’s new Long-Term Plan for Towns, securing a brighter future for residents.

“People across Blyth Valley will be delighted to hear Blyth is getting the support it deserves, showing the Conservative government’s levelling up agenda in action.”

A new Department for Levelling Up taskforce will be created to advise the town board.

New powers allowing empty high street shops to be auctioned off, licensing rules to be reformed, and town centre housing to be increased were also announced.

Councillor Glen Sanderson, leader of Northumberland County Council, said: “This is very welcome news for Blyth. Significant change is already happening to revitalise the town centre and capitalise on the huge potential of our leading clean energy sector with the new culture venue, Market Place, and energy campus already being constructed, our new welding centre, and works well underway on the Northumberland Line.

“This additional long-term investment from government means we can go further to transform the town, deliver better homes, improve neighbourhoods, and reduce crime in partnership with local businesses, the community, and partners."

Alan Ferguson, chair of Blyth Town Deal Board, added: “This is a real boost for Blyth helping us to deliver improvements that are much needed.

“The support will accelerate our work together to grow, renew, and connect the town, crucially ensuring that local people are included in the opportunities in the town.

“It will galvanise partnership work between the business community, public sector, and community partners to deliver real change on issues that are important to the community.

“Blyth is already a fantastic town in so many ways and this investment will make it even better as a place to live, work and invest.”

But Labour councillor Anna Watson, who represents Isabella ward, said it would be important for local people to have their say on how the money is spent.

She said: “I don’t know what it is going to be used for. It will be interesting to see what it will be spent on and how much the community will have a say.

“Nobody is going to say we don’t want money but there is frustration in the town over how it is being spent. It seems wonderful but where is it going to be spent?

“There won’t be a plan at the moment. I would like to see real community-led projects with this money. That is where I would hope it would be spent, really making a difference in that way.

“The problem with levelling up is it is still controlled by the government because of the bidding process. It’s not local decision-making.”