Wisbech has been named among 20 towns to receive up to £20million of government funding for investments over the next ten years.

The funding was announced in Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s budget on Wednesday (March 6) and confirmed by Minister for Levelling Up Jacob Young.

Fenland District Council leader Cllr Chris Boden said: “On the face of it this is obviously very welcome news for Fenland and Wisbech.

“We are looking forward to analysing the detail of the offer and specifics of how this money can be used to benefit Wisbech, its people and businesses.

“Wisbech is a wonderful town, with rich heritage, strong community and lots of potential. We hope this will prove a valuable investment to help hone and release that potential.”

The cash comes under the government’s ‘Long-Term Plan for Towns’, a core part of our levelling up programme. Last year, 55 towns were identified to receive funding as part of this programme.

MP for North East Cambridgeshire Steve Barclay said: “I very much welcome this £20m of government support for Wisbech and look forward to working with councillors, businesses and local residents to take forward this investment.”

The chancellor confirmed new funding and support worth £400m to extend the programme to 20 more towns across England, Scotland, Wales and now also Northern Ireland.

In the announcement of the initial round of funding it was said: “Each town will have a new Town Board made up of local community leaders and employers, who will draw up their town’s Long-Term Plan for the next 10 years.”

In announcing Wisbech’s funding, Jacob Young MP said: “The Long-Term Plan for Towns is a fundamentally different way of approaching the challenges towns face, putting power back into the hands of local people so that they can decide on local priorities and what is best for the long-term future of the places in which they live.

“We want to make towns places where people and businesses want to invest, creating new jobs and breathing new life into our high streets and town centres. The relevant local MP must sit on the Town Board, should be engaged in the appointment of the independent chair of that board and consulted as part of the development of a towns Long-Term Plan.

“Each town will receive ‘endowment-style' funding and support worth up to £20 million, to give them the certainty to deliver projects over the 10-year lifespan of the programme and flexibility to invest in interventions based on local needs and priorities.”