James is campaigning to ensure North West Norfolk benefits from the government's levelling up agenda including promoting investment in King's Lynn through the Towns Fund and other schemes.
King's Lynn has a great history and a committed, creative, and engaged local community. James wants to maximise the potential that the town has to thrive in the future. Through my role on the Towns Fund Board I will work to deliver projects to boost skills and jobs, enhance our heritage, and improve our quality of life.
June 2021 - £25 million Town Deal for King's Lynn
- The Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government has announced that King's Lynn has secured a £25 million Town Deal.
- The plans submitted to the government were developed by the Towns Fund Board focusing on the themes of innovative growing businesses and a skilled workforce, a sustainably connected town, and a historic riverfront and repurposed town centre. The proposals reflected engagement with local people, businesses, and other groups on ideas to improve our town and support economic growth and builds on local manufacturing, engineering, and health sector strengths by supporting growing businesses and takes advantage of King’s Lynn’s strong creative and cultural tradition
- The projects include a new Youth and Retraining Pledge to provide new opportunities for skills and support those affected by Covid-19 to retrain; projects to improve the town centre and public spaces; a new multi-user community hub to provide a one stop shop for accessing a range of services; a restored St George’s Guildhall complex and creative hub; an innovation and collaboration incubator for businesses; proposals for better transport connectivity and cycling and walking; and regeneration of the historic riverfront.
- The Towns Fund Board will determine the balance of the £25 million investment against the projects submitted as part of the Town Investment Plan and will need to meet the conditions in the Head of Terms agreement with the MHCLG
March 2021 - King's Lynn priority area for new Levelling Up Fund
- In the 2021 Budget, the Chancellor published the prospectus for the new Levelling Up Fund to support transport, heritage, or regeneration projects. James welcomed that King’s Lynn and West Norfolk is in the priority group for the new Fund.
November 2020 - James champions King's Lynn Towns Fund bid
- James spoke in the House of Commons to champion the King's Lynn's Town Investment Plan and the opportunity to benefit from £25 million of investment.
September 2020 - Funding for new School of Nursing Studies and investment in Lynn town centre
- King’s Lynn will benefit from £750,000 of accelerated Towns Fund investment for a School of Nursing Studies at the College of West Anglia, and investment to improve the town centre under £80 million of funding announced by the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government.
- This came after James called on the Prime Minister to support the case for the new School of Nursing Studies at Prime Minister's questions.
King's Lynn was selected as one of 100 towns that will benefit from the £3.6 billion Towns Fund which will pay for projects that deliver ‘’economic productivity through urban regeneration, planning and land use, skills and enterprise infrastructure and connectivity’’. James is a member of the King's Lynn Towns Fund Board working with the Borough Council, businesses, the College of West Anglia, and other local partners to develop the Town Investment Plan which aims to secure up to £25 million investment to boost long term economic growth. The Town Investment Plan will be the overarching strategy for the area with a focus on skills and enterprise, transport connectivity, promoting heritage, and urban regeneration.
More details on the Town Investment Plan and Board, can be found at https://www.visionkingslynn.co.uk/
