The Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt announced in yesterday’s Budget that Canvey Island would receive a massive £20 million endowment from the Government to Level-Up the Island and boost its local economy.
The fund will be spent by a new ‘Town Board’ made up of local community groups and businesses that will be established in the coming weeks and unlike other funds will not be in the control of Castle Point Borough Council. It will be allocated the £20 million over ten years to spend on projects the new Town Board come up with to improve the town centre.
The Chancellor Jeremy Hunt visited Canvey Island in 2019 and was taken to meet several businesses in Canvey Town Centre by local MP Rebecca Harris.
Commenting on the announcement, Rebecca said:
“This is hugely exciting. It could transform the future of the whole Island. Canvey Town Centre has so much potential and this massive funding boost on top of the previous £1 million levelling up funding the Government gave for the Borough, if used wisely, could give Canvey a massive and well-deserved refresh.
“I arranged for Jeremy Hunt to visit Canvey Town Centre to meet and hear from local businesses a couple of years ago and it looks like that groundwork has seriously paid off!
“I’m hugely grateful to him and the Prime Minister for this massive vote of confidence in our Island!”
Former Canvey councillor and Freeman of the Borough Ray Howard MBE said of the news:
“This is fantastic news for Canvey. Well done Rebecca for her part in getting this funding. She got Jeremy Hunt down to Canvey Town Centre, I met him and traders met him and Rebecca gave us the chance to bang the drum for Canvey. Canvey has a strong community and I know that the business and community groups that will make up the Town Board will come up with something special. Hopefully there will be big projects to improve our town centre and make our seafront more of a destination to benefit the local economy. It would be good to see projects to support Canvey’s young people as well.”
Darren Brown of Browns Petshop in Canvey Town Centre was is hopeful about the difference the £20 million could make to businesses in the town centre.
“I’ve been bending Rebecca’s ear about what local independent firms need for years. She brought Hunt to meet us and I told him too. It’s a huge investment and could fund projects that could make a real difference to the island, particularly our town centre. We need changes to tax and business rates, and lots of other things, but this investment should be really good news for town centre traders.”
