Jarrow set to benefit from £20m in funding through the Long-Term Plan for Towns programme

Jarrow is among 55 towns in the UK which is set to benefit from the government’s Long-Term Plan for Towns (LTPT) programme.

In September 2023, it was revealed that the LTPT would award towns across the country with a ten-year endowment-style fund of £20million - resulting in £2million per year.

Jarrow is one of seven towns in the North East of England to be awarded the funding, which will be focused on issues that matter to people in the local area.

This includes cracking down on anti-social behaviour (ASB), regenerating high streets, improving connectivity in towns and protecting local heritage sites.

Each town that has been selected for the programme has set up their own Town Board to discuss what the money will be spent on.

To oversee the funding for these local projects, Adam Hawksbee was appointed as the ‘Towns Tsar’ by the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak.

Mr Hawksbee met with representatives from the 55 Town Boards on Wednesday, May 15, to discuss their plans for the LTPT - in a summit that was also attended by Levelling Up Minister Jacob Young.

Speaking to the Shields Gazette after the summit, the Towns Tsar moved to reassure the people of Jarrow that this funding could make a real difference in their local area.

He said: “It was brilliant to meet with the chair of the Jarrow Town Board as they have loads of ideas and ambitions to use the money and build on it.

“I know that the Jarrow Big Local, which is a lottery-funded programme, has already delivered some phenomenal projects that have benefited the local community.

“The Jarrow Big Local was £1million over ten years, this is £20million over ten years but hopefully this additional investment will build on what the Big Local has already done and make a change.

“I know that people will be sceptical but I ask them to take a lead from some of the institutions that are leaning into this.

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“For example, the South Shields FC Foundation director is on the Town Board and after meeting him, I know that he is not the kind of person who would be wasting his time on a project that he didn’t think would deliver value.

“So people can look to some of those institutions who have decided to get stuck in and they are doing that because they really see that this could be a transformative opportunity.”

“I really do understand the scepticism but this has the potential to be a great opportunity for Jarrow.”

The Jarrow Town Board will have until August 1 to come up with a ten-year vision for how they want to use the £20million, as well as presenting a three-year plan on how it will be spent.

For more information on regeneration in Jarrow, visit: https://www.southtyneside.gov.uk/article/3350/Jarrow-regeneration.