The Government have announced a further £3 Million pounds of support for local town centres and shopping areas hardest hit by the recession.
Birmingham will benefit from £52,632 of funding, as will 56 other local authorities. The funding is aimed at targeting places with the highest number of empty shops and greatest levels of deprivation.
The money will be determined and spent by local councils on ways that they think would be most effective to transform empty shops; such as turning them into community meeting places or a show room for local artists.
Communities Secretary John Denham announcing the funding said:
“We know that the downturn has really hurt high streets. There is no need to see unused shops on our high streets going to waste, especially when we know that it doesn’t take a lot to turn a vacant shop into something beneficial for the community.
Local MP Siôn Simon added:
“This is another example of real help now for communities and its about Labour supporting areas that are hardest hit. I really hope that Erdington will benefit from this money.”
