Basildon Council and Swan Housing have teamed up to respond to a call from Government to bid for funding on capital projects to help kickstart the economy and create jobs.
The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Robert Jenrick MP issued the call to Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) across the country. Basildon Council and Swan Housing contributed to the overall bid through the submission of a number of potential opportunities that will support the Local Economic Growth agenda.
The projects outlined in the bid include, Pitsea swimming pool, A Youth Zone facility, Innovation Warehouse, which is the conversion of Basildon’s Green Centre to support businesses and the expansion of Great Oaks car park as part of the Basildon town centre masterplan.
Leader of Basildon Council Councillor Gavin Callaghan said: “The aftermath of Covid-19 is going to be a massive challenge. The real tough times begin now but Basildon Council is working with partners and central government to invest in the future. We must not repeat the mistakes of the past – austerity is not the way forward, we have to build our way out of economic depression.”
Chairman of the Infrastructure and Inclusive Growth Committee Councillor Adele Brown said: “We have responded quickly and decisively to this opportunity and worked closely with Swan to put together a bid that meets the objectives of the funding stream.”
Deputy Chief Executive at Swan Housing Geoff Pearce added:
“Swan Housing is delighted to be working in partnership with Basildon Council to bid for funding to support further local economic growth in the borough.
We’ve been working in Basildon for over 25 years and through our Modular Housing Factory and key ongoing projects including the regeneration of Laindon Shopping Centre and the transformation of the Craylands Estate at Beechwood, we’re been working in partnership with the borough to build much needed homes, create new jobs and stimulate the local economy.
If our bid is successful, this additional funding will enable us to accelerate both our modular housing delivery and our key projects in the borough, stimulating significant local economic growth and supporting much needed town centre regeneration.”
Projects to be considered must deliver on two overarching objectives – driving up economic growth and jobs and supporting green recovery. They must also enable the following:
- town and city centre modernisation through targeted infrastructure investments unleashing their longer-term economic potential;
- investment in physical connectivity to improve the functioning of the local economy;
- investment in innovation ecosystem including through improvements to research and development facilities driving up business productivity;
- improvements to human capital;
- improving digital connectivity, in order to support economic performance, particularly in more isolated areas.
