The leader of the Labour Group in Hull City Council has welcomed a boost in investment from central Government. Two areas of Hull are set to receive £20m of investment from Westminster.
The investment follows the Government’s £20m long term investment in Orchard Park. The estate was named in a list of twenty five ‘trailblazer neighbourhoods’ in Rachel Reeves’ Spending Review earlier in the year.
The two areas in Hull that will receive the funding are the Boulevard and St. Andrew’s Quay area in the St. Andrew’s & Docklands ward and Greatfield, in the Marfleet ward. Cllr Daren Hale, who leads the Labour Party in Hull City Council, as well as representing the St. Andrew’s & Docklands ward said: “This is fantastic news and shows that areas in our city are a priority of the Labour Government and will receive these huge investments. We will ensure that local residents are in charge of where this money is spent in their communities.
“Hopefully we can get youth workers, improved park facilities, improved environment and green spaces, and community areas, but ultimately it is up to local people. This shows the benefit of having a Labour Government working with our excellent local Labour MPs.”
One of Cllr Hale’s St. Andrew’s & Docklands ward colleagues, Cllr Leanne Fudge has shared the leader’s sentiment and has said: “Having grown up in this area, I feel the Labour Government’s announcement has given this area a much needed lift with this investment. Now is our time, this is a fantastic opportunity, and I can’t wait to get working with local residents and Emma Hardy MP on the plans.”
The news has also been welcomed by those in the Marfleet ward. Cllr Patrick Wilkinson, a Labour Party councillor for the ward said: “As a local resident in Marfleet I think it is great to see the Labour Government investing in neglected communities that have been ignored for years by previous governments. This will allow local people to take control of their communities.”
The MPs who represent the two areas have spoken of the importance of the funding. Emma Hardy (Hull West and Haltemprice) said: “This is the government delivering for Hull, and I am delighted they listened to my arguments for this vital investment into our communities.”
Similarly Karl Turner (Hull East) said: “Local people know their area better than anyone else and that is why the Government has decided to do this differently. This is our chance to improve our area by making the big decisions for ourselves, not by letting other people make decisions for us. It is a pot of money intended to make our area and even better place to live.”
The leader of Hull City Council, Cllr Mike Ross, also said: “While more money for the city is, of course, welcome, we need to see more about what this really means. It’s been months since the first pot of funding was announced for Orchard Park, and in that time there has been little progress from the Government on getting it into action.
“These areas need investment to make our streets cleaner and safer. We want to work with the Government to do that, but it needs to move at pace so we can invest in making people’s lives better. While the Government has been slow in getting this funding into action, the Liberal Democrats have got on with providing support to improve high streets across Hull with our High Street Support Fund.”
By: Andrew Spence, LDRS
