The government has announced that five towns in Greater Manchester will receive £20m each after rebranding Rishi Sunak's plans from 2023.

In total, 75 towns across the country will get a share of £1.5bn over the next 10 years to 'restore pride' in their neighbourhoods and boost local growth. 

The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) says the cash from the 'new' Plan for Neighbourhoods programme can be spent on high streets, local parks, youth clubs, cultural venues, libraries and health and wellbeing services.

Ashton-under-Lyne, Chadderton, Farnworth, Heywood, and Leigh have all been selected for the scheme dubbed the 'Long-Term Plan for Towns' under the Tories. Boards made up of local businesses and other representatives will decide how to use the funding.

These boards have already been set up, with some in Greater Manchester having picked projects that will benefit and drafted plans.

These boards will now be expected to 'refresh and resubmit' their plans with the options they can choose from to spend their money on having doubled and the objectives of the programme having changed.

Each board will now have to decide how to spend the £20m again, with options ranging from repairs to pavements and high streets, to setting up community grocers offering low-cost alternatives for essentials, as well as co-operatives or neighbourhood watches.

The list of people who can sit on these boards has also been expanded to include social housing and workplace representatives.

Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Angela Rayner said:

“For years, too many neighbourhoods have been starved of investment, despite their potential to thrive and grow. Communities across the UK have so much to offer – rich cultural capital, unique heritage but most of all, an understanding of their own neighbourhood.

“We will do things differently, our fully funded Plan for Neighbourhoods puts local people in the driving seat of their potential, having control of where the Whitehall cash goes – what issues they want to tackle, where they want to regenerate and what growth they want turbocharge.”

Conservative MP and Shadow Housing Secretary Kevin Hollinrake said:

“Local areas are feeling increased pressure due to immigration, increased council tax and Labour changing the local government finance settlement to benefit urban areas over rural areas.

“Labour erased the phrase ‘levelling up’ from Government and instead of delivering for local communities are now spending taxpayer cash on wasteful pet projects this country can’t afford.”