Chesterfield Borough Council receives support from Re-opening the High Street Safely Fund
Chesterfield Borough Council has received £92,500 in funding from the Re-opening the High Street Safely Fund.
The funding is primarily for use in Chesterfield town centre, but can also be used to support the re-opening of other district shopping areas such as Staveley town centre, Chatsworth Road and Whittington Moor.
The Government has allocated the funding from the European Regional Development Fund, as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020, to help support the process of reopening England’s high streets safely. The European Regional Development Fund helps local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects which will support innovation, businesses, create jobs and local community regenerations.
The funding, which will be used in collaboration with Destination Chesterfield, will help implement new measures to encourage the safe re-opening of Chesterfield town centre considering the challenges presented by Covid-19 and the need to promote and maintain safe social distancing.
Some of the funding will also be used for communication and public information campaigns to market the town centre and the borough as a place to visit and to encourage more and more people to shop local. More information about how the funding will be spent will be announced over the coming weeks.
Dom Stevens, Manager of Destination Chesterfield, said: “Businesses and organisations across Chesterfield have shown great resilience during the lockdown period. Experiences with our Chesterfield Champions and other local companies has shown that businesses are keen to pull together and come out the other side of the coronavirus pandemic stronger than ever.”
He added: “The Destination Chesterfield team will continue to promote the Shop Local message over the coming months and to support retailers in their recovery.”
Launched in April by Destination Chesterfield, the Supporting Local website has helped Chesterfield’s independent businesses and service providers continue to operate and supply their services and products during lockdown.
Chesterfield Borough Council has already used some of the funding on signage and road and pavement markings to support shoppers to maintain safe social distancing around the outdoor market, market hall and Chesterfield town centre.
Click here to find out more about Destination Chesterfield
