A number of projects to help invest in Tendring and boost recovery from Covid-19 have been approved by senior councillors.
In total 33 projects with a budget of £4.5 million were given the green light by Tendring District Council’s (TDC) Cabinet yesterday (Friday 19 February).
The Back to Business programme includes capital projects, seed funding for event organisers, and also pledges – such as to look at amending council policy to ensure Tendring-based firms are prioritised for contracts where possible.
TDC has put £862k into the programme already, while the rest of the budget is re-prioritised and, in some cases, accelerated spending from existing funds. Around £1.95m has been leveraged in external funding for the various schemes.
Neil Stock OBE, TDC Leader, said the Back to Business programme would see the council lead the way and provide private sector reassurance that Tendring was a place of opportunity.
“Like everyone else we are not immune to the impacts of Covid-19, and the ambitious programme of projects we set out last year have in many cases been deferred,” Cllr Stock said.
“But we do not want to just pick up where we left off – we want to speed up delivery on projects which are still relevant to make up that lost time, and in many cases we have re-prioritised what we are doing to provide the biggest lever to success in as short a time as possible.
“On the roadmap to recovering from the pandemic, we want to create a downward slope so we can gather pace and success – not set ourselves an uphill struggle – and bounce back quickly.
“This is not just about us spending money, but also supporting the wider economy to flourish through a range of measures targeted at fuelling local businesses.”
Among the projects forming the programme is a £250k scheme to transform Clacton Skate Park, £50k to support small local businesses set up a trading website, and £30k to support local firms to expand apprenticeship schemes for residents in the area. TDC is also looking to hand out further grants totalling £30,000 for mental health support groups in the district in the coming months.
Cllr Stock added: “As we set out when we published our Back to Business agenda late last year, we want to look at all areas of life – from helping businesses grow, to getting residents fit and healthy, to encouraging more visitors to the Essex Sunshine Coast once it is safe to do so.
“This is a truly exciting programme to help residents and businesses succeed in how they live, strive and thrive in Tendring.”
