Boston's heritage asset and expanding Skegness' season highlighted in £20m deal talks

Mr Hawksbee spoke to Lincolnshire World after meeting members of the appointed Boards of the 75 towns due to each receive the funding over the next decade as part of a £1.5 billion Government funding package.

The funding, which is part of the Long Term Plan for Towns to be spent over 10 years, was outlined last month when Mr Hawksbee visited Boston and Skegness to discuss Levelling Up opportunities and ensure local voices were heard loud and clear across government.

As part of the Plan, each town will be supported to deliver long-term projects focused on the issues that matter most to local people, including travel connectivity such as better cycle ways, regenerating high streets with for instance new shop fronts, protecting local heritage and cracking down on anti-social behaviour.

Following Wednesday’s meeting with representatives of the town Boards, Mr Hawksbee told Lincolnshire World he was excited by the ideas being put forward for Skegness and Boston.

"There is a real opportunity with the councils of Skegness, Boston and Spalding being connected with chairs shairing the challenges they face and opportiunities they may grasp,” he said.

"It is really clear, for Skegness, the challenge is moving from a four-month to 12-month economy and supporting some of the investments coming through like the Levelling Up Fund. So I know the Skegness Board are thinking about what are the the sort of investments they need to make across the town so any new economic opportunities coming from projects on the waterfront can genuinely increase wages and create jobs – and also tackle some of the anti-social behaviour there can sometimes be when crowds are slightly lower.

"In Boston the heritage asset they have got in that part of the world and the beauty and the history of the town centre is clearly a real asset to build from.

"Boston is a place in transition – and that is demographically just as much as it is economically. Having met with the Boston board and the Boston Independent group and the council there, they have a real interest in ensuring that economic abd demographic level of change is managed really well.

"I know the council has a commitment for a healthy and green Boston – taking in the headings of security, town centres and connectivity support that ambition”

To meet the deadline for ideas which is August 1, consultations are being launched and Boards are using a variety of ways to engage with the public.

Mr Hawksbee said it was important the public came forward with their ideas – because no decisions have yet been made about how that money will be used.

Already a consultation has been launched for Skegness, overseen by Connected Coast Town Deal which was established to administer the £24.5M Towns Fund awarded to the town in 2021. Paul McCooey is Chair of the Skegness sub-group of Connected Coast and Chair of Skegness Area Business Chamber.

He said: “This funding represents another huge opportunity for us to bring improvements to Skegness, and it builds on the multi-million funding which is already benefiting the town through the Towns Fund, Levelling Up, and UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

“What is key about this new strand of funding is that there is such as significant onus on community engagement – we need the public to tell us what they think and the community voice will play a crucial role in shaping the three year investment plan and ten year outline plan for the town.

“There are a number of ways for people to get involved, and we want to hear from as many people as possible. Please do have your say today, and help to shape Skegness’ future.”

Cllr Steve Kirk, Portfolio Holder for the Coastal Economy at East Lindsey District Council, said: “Long Term Plan for Towns provides another great opportunity to bring investment and new opportunities in Skegness, just like what is being achieved through the Town Deal.

“At the heart of it all is the people who live, work and visit Skegness. Your ideas, views and

suggestions are vital for shaping the future of the investment plan. Please do take a time to have

your say by taking part in the survey online, by post or sharing your feedback on the Long Term Plan

for Towns feedback boards which will soon be popping up.

“This is your opportunity to tell us what you want - your wishes and desires for Skegness. By working

together collaboratively, we can all help shape the future of this fantastic town.”

Matt Warman, MP for Boston and Skegness commented: “The £24.5milliion Towns Fund was a great start to levelling up our area and has seen delivery of projects like the new Skegness Technical College and Police Training Centre.

The Long Term Plan for Towns builds on this strong foundation to embed guaranteed continued funding to allow delivery of ambitious longer term projects. I encourage residents to have their say on how this money is spent in our area and look forward to

delivering on their priorities.”

The feedback from the public will help to develop a 3 year investment plan and a 10 year outline plan for the funding in Skegness, and there are a number of ways in which people can have their say:

 A survey, which can be completed and returned Freepost, will shortly be sent to every

resident in Skegness;

 People can also have their say in an online survey here:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Skegnessideassurvey

 Hard copies of the survey can be requested and completed from Embassy Theatre Foyer,

Tower Gardens Pavilion, Skegness Library

 In addition, feedback boards where people can share ideas around the themes of the funding can be found in the Aura Business Centre, Embassy Theatre Foyer, Tower Gardens

Pavilion, Skegness Library, TEC Skegness, Skegness Masonic Centre and Hildreds Shopping Centre.

 People can also add their ideas around the themes to the feedback form here: Long Term Plan for Towns - Connected Coast

 Events are set to be held where people can have their say, and details of these will be made available in the coming weeks.

 The views of young people are encouraged and an engagement pack has been prepared for schools which can be downloaded here Long Term Plan for Towns - Connected Coast

 Finally, postcards and posters are being distributed across the town to signpost people to how they can get involved in this significant consultation for Skegness.

Boston town residents will soon be receiving a survey in the post which they can return Freepost. Again the closing date for all feedback is June 10.

 People can also share their thoughts and ideas in an online survey which will take about 10 minutes to complete: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/bostonsbrilliant

 There will also be a programme of community events taking place, the details of which will

be promoted on the Boston Town Deal website Long Term Plan for Towns – Welcome to

Boston Town Deal Website and social media channels.

 Anyone who would like a hard copy of the survey or the survey in a different language can

get in touch with the team: [email protected]

 Paper copies of the survey are also available to complete at Boston Borough Council, Boston

Stump, the Guildhall, Geoff Moulder Leisure Centre, and Boston College.

 And, people can also share their thoughts in an online feedback form: Long Term Plan for Towns – Welcome to Boston Town Deal Website or email their views to

[email protected]

Neil Kempster is Chair of Boston Town Board which is overseeing the development of the long term

plan for Boston. He said: “The Long Term Plan for Towns funding builds on the transformational

funding that is already coming into Boston through the Towns Fund and Levelling Up, and it offers another fantastic opportunity for the town.

“Listening to the views of local people, finding out what matters to them, and what improvements they would like to see, is vital and will inform decisions on how this money is invested. It is your

opportunity to help shape the future of your town.

“I would ask people to please take a moment to tell us what you think, and help to make a difference for Boston’s brilliant future.”

Cllr Anne Dorrian, Leader of Boston Borough Council, said: “Im thrilled to see Boston’s bright future taking shape with another investment of £20m. This is a fantastic opportunity for our community to shape the future of our town.

"Your ideas and input are crucial in deciding where this funding goes. I want you to know that your voice matters so please share your thoughts online, or reach out directly to the team or look out for one of the consultation events which will take place in local settings. Let’s work together to make Boston an even better place to live, work, and thrive.”

Matt Warman, MP for Boston and Skegness said: “Boston has secured long-term funding which will support projects over a ten-year period. The aim is to be genuinely transformative, and leave a legacy for years to come. It’s great news and it shows that the successes of our Town Deal board are just the start. In addition to the £21.9 million that’s building the Boston college’s flagship Mayflower Centre, reinventing the Geoff Moulder and renovating the railway station, we’ve had £14.8 million funding through the Levelling Up partnership for the PE21 masterplan. We know that #bostonsbrilliant – please do have your say through this consultation to help make it even better.”