Kidderminster getting lots of investment

VISITORS to Kidderminster will be well aware of a lot of local investment.

The Town Hall is now up and running as a fabulous music venue.

The old magistrates’ court now provides workspace for a wide variety of businesses.

The new park on Worcester Street is nearing completion.

The piano building by the Tesco car park is due to be restarted as a social hub, with offices in the upper floors.

Crown House – officially the second ugliest building in England – is gone and the site is waiting redevelopment.

This investment, of around £40million, has been delivered by the last government. And in some welcome news, the new government has just announced a new programme of local investment – Pride in Place.

This is a significant project and the good news is that we have, in Kidderminster, got lucky. The project has allocated £20million to our principal town and a new Pride in Place board will be set up to deliver the opportunities.

The board will look at a what is needed, and from reading the guidance, there can be any number of different ideas. The money can be used for project such as refurbishing town centres, through to supporting local community hubs and activities.

The board will have an independent chair, but many of the members will be made up of locally elected representatives.

A lot is going on in Kidderminster. When I was first elected, back in 2010, the town was recovering from the massive downscaling of our local hospital by Tony Blair’s Labour government. But economically, it was struggling. In the aftermath of the decline of the carpet industry, the local economy was struggling.

Fifteen years later, we have seen new work opportunities in the district, and significant investment into our town centre. Of course, shopping habits have changed massively – most people buy online these days. But town centres are still the core of our community.

So, I am pleased and grateful that the new government has sent £20million our way. It adds to the good work done by the previous government and it will continue to make a difference to our town, our community and our local economy.