Eastbourne MP on £20 million fund for town

Lib Dem MP for Eastbourne Josh Babarinde has announced that he has secured the future of the £20 million Towns Fund to be spent in the town.

The government funding was originally pledged in March, but Labour ministers placed it under review in July, with many fearing it would be scrapped altogether.

Mr. Babarinde met with government ministers to urge them to protect the funding for Eastbourne, wrote to them, and raised it on the floor of the House of Commons to try and secure the fund’s future. 

Eastbourne Town Hall This comes after Eastbourne Borough Council being forced to make cuts due to financial pressures created by homelessness and temporary accommodation costs.

The council is at risk of being “unable to set a balanced budget” after spending £4.5 million on temporary accommodation.

READ MORE: Eastbourne Soveriegn Centre fun pool will close

Further to his lobbying, the minister for local growth MP Alex Norris wrote to the Lib Dem MP on October 30 confirming that the funding for Eastbourne was protected, without stating the amount.

Mr Babarinde met the minister subsequently, where it was confirmed that the full £20 million will be granted to Eastbourne over a ten-year period.

Ministers have said that, currently, the first tranche of project funding won’t be unlocked until 2026 and they are still finalising the revised ‘prospectus’, which will define the types of project the money can be spent on.

This also comes after the council was forced to close The Beachy Head Story heritage centre on September 30 in a bid to cut costs of up to £6 million.  

The Beachy Head Story has confirmed its last day was September 30 (Image: Google) Mr Babarinde is now campaigning for the funding to be unlocked sooner, and for the criteria to allow funding to be spent on health, sports and leisure facilities for local families.

Josh Babarinde MP said: “After months of fighting to save the £20 million Towns Fund for Eastbourne, I’m delighted that our lobbying succeeded especially when so many thought we wouldn’t be able to protect it”

“As it stands, though, our town won't see this cash until 2026, and the new criteria of what we can spend the money on hasn’t been confirmed yet.

“We need this funding sooner and I want to see a lot of this cash spent on facilities for Eastbourne children and families - especially leisure, health and fitness facilities - so I’ve launched a petition urging the Government to unlock the funding on these terms.”