Council set to invest £2m into future of borough

An initial £700,000 will be dedicated to the fund as part of phase one– with more to come later.

This will include: 

• An extra £210,000 to keep the towns cleaner and tidier – thanks to the addition of more street cleaning staff. 
   
• A boost of £135,000 will increase the capacity of Erewash’s Neighbourhood Wardens service, which deals with issues such as fly-tipping, graffiti and town centre patrols.
   
• Ilkeston town centre will benefit from £101,000 of replacement street furniture. 
   
• A war on graffiti in both towns will see £20,000 devoted to it for graffiti kits that will be available for businesses and community groups, as well as the development of an anti-graffiti action plan to target problem sites.
   
• The council will also be investing £50,000 to team up with local artists to commission street art murals to enhance the urban environment.
   
• The Cotmanhay Community Network centre, based in the old Bennerley School, will be safeguarded thanks to a £165,000 grant that has already been approved by the council. The community hub had been threatened with closure after Derbyshire County Council cut funding.

Leader of the Council, Councillor James Dawson: “Investing in our communities is the right thing to do – and this is just the beginning. There is much more to come as part of phase two, with bigger investments that will not only benefit residents in the long-term but secure a brighter and more secure future for the borough.”

Councillor Becca Everett, Deputy Leader of the council and Lead Member for Community Engagement, said: “The council has been working hard to boost our towns. We’ve already been offering grants to get new shops and businesses opening on our high streets.

“We’ve also launched a crackdown on owners of buildings who fail to carry out routine maintenance on premises that have often been left vacant. 

“The council is determined to enhance civic pride among residents and to make people’s everyday lives better.”

The funding is set to be approved at a meeting of Council Executive to be held at Ilkeston Town Hall on Tuesday 22 July.

The council intends to announce further initiatives later in the year when the Government’s funding settlement for local authorities is confirmed.