Council bosses are celebrating after being awarded £100,000 to regenerate our town centres. The money will be used to return empty shops to use.
Regeneration chiefs are now inviting businesses to come forward with their ideas on how the money should be spent.
Town hall bosses will also consider cutting business rates.
Regeneration chiefs are now inviting businesses to come forward with their ideas on how the money should be spent.
Deputy leader Coun Clare Pritchard said she contacted minister Grant Shapps earlier this year to say that Portas Pilot money did not go far enough.
She said: "I’m really chuffed that he has listened to us.
"It’s more or less not ring fenced so we can spend it on what we like. It’s going to be spent in our town centres.
"We are opening a six-week consultation and we will have an open forum meeting for businesses at the end of that to tell us what they think we should do."
The borough has been awarded the money out of the £10million High Street Innovation Fund, which the Government is labelling its ‘Portas Plus’ plan.
Conservative leader Coun Peter Britcliffe suggested the money should be spent on revamping council offices on Broadway. He said: "Any money is very welcome, but I personally would like to see it be used to complement the transformation of Broadway, especially doing up the exterior of those offices.
