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.
He has helped secure £70 million of investment for Lynn and will work to ensure the successful delivery of projects for St George's Guildhall, the new library and adult skills hub, Southgates remodelling, support for active travel, and to boost the riverfront - bringing jobs and investment across West Norfolk.
The £25 million Lynn Town Deal agreed with the government is unprecedented investment in the town. It is already making a difference with the new School of Nursing Studies providing high quality nursing apprenticeships for local people at the CWA and QEH.
There are exciting plans to boost skills, jobs, and investment including:
- New community hub and library and adult skills training in the old Argos building
- restoring St. George's Guildhall with a new creative hub and improved educational opportunities
- Regenerating the riverfront area and improving the town centre
- Improved travel around town including better walking and cycling routes
In addition, there is £24 million of Levelling Up Funding secured for the Southgates area to improve traffic flows and the entrance to our historic town, boost cycling and walking to improve air quality and make Lynn an even better place to live, work, and visit.
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.
Updates
March 2024 - £20 million Long Term Plan for Towns funding for Lynn
- In the Budget, the Chancellor has announced that King’s Lynn has been selected to join the government’s Long Term Plan for Towns benefiting from up to £20 million in funding.
- Each town will receive a 10-year endowment-style fund with £20 million of funding and support to give towns long term certainty to deliver projects over multiple years and the flexibility to invest.
- King’s Lynn’s Town Board will be required to develop a 10-year Long-Term Plan, setting out the town’s vision and priorities for investment and regeneration, aligned to themes of safety and security, high streets, heritage and regeneration, and transport and connectivity. The plans will be developed in consultation with local people.
January 2023 - £24 million Levelling Up funding
- King's Lynn received £24 million in Levelling Up funding to improve the Southgate area of King's Lynn.
- This funding comes from a wider share of £2.1 billion nationally to improve local areas
- Funding will contribute to sustainable transport movements on the key corridor into the town from the West Winch strategic growth area
- Through Levelling Up funding, the visionary Bus and Active Travel project will transform key gateways into King's Lynn town
- Plan to regenerate the Southgate area whilst maintaining the historic 15th century Southgate
- This aligns with £25 million Town Deal awarded in 2021 for King's Lynn
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/
