Five Lincolnshire towns and Lincoln city will get more than £131.1 million towards priority projects as part of the government’s budget this year.

Lincoln, Boston, Skegness and Mablethorpe will all take a share of £175 million allocated to the East Midlands as part of the Towns Fund project.

Meanwhile Grimsby and Scunthorpe will also share in £199 million of funding spread across Yorkshire and the Humber.

The Towns Fund deals are a series of projects aimed at “levelling up” areas.

Here’s a breakdown of how much will be received by each town:

• Lincoln – £19 million
• Skegness – £24.5 million
• Mablethorpe – £23.9 million
• Boston – £21.9 million
• Scunthorpe – £20.9 million
• Grimsby – £20.9

Region’s leaders react

East Lindsey District Council leader Craig Leyland said: “We are delighted to have secured a Town Deal for both [Mablethorpe and Skegness]. This helps us secure more investment in the future.”

Meanwhile, Lincoln MP Karl McCartney said: “As a Towns’ Fund Board, we ranked the projects in order of what we believed was in the best interests of our beautiful city. I am pleased to see a number of them that I particularly supported have been granted funding.”

Jo Walker, Assistant Director for Growth at City of Lincoln Council, said: “It’s fantastic news that Lincoln will receive £19m of Town Deal funding.

“This money, and the projects it will fund, will help make a significant difference in the city as we come out of lockdown and begin our recovery from the pandemic.

“We now await the full detail on which of our projects have been approved. We will then put the wheels in motion to ensure these projects are delivered for the benefit of the people of Lincoln and to help consolidate our position as a leading visitor destination.”

Councillor Rob Waltham, leader of North Lincolnshire Council, said: “These plans have always been about investing in a better future for the people of Scunthorpe and North Lincolnshire.

“These very serious plans for investment across the next five years will create jobs, they will create even better conditions for growth and make the area a more attractive environment for businesses to invest.

“The end result be more highly-skilled, well-paid, sustainable jobs in Scunthorpe for the people who live here.”

Councillor Philip Jackson, Leader of North East Lincolnshire Council, which has not had its funding confirmed yet, said: “I’m delighted to hear that our Town Deal plans have been recognised in today’s budget.

“There’s real optimism for Grimsby’s future, and having a vibrant and enriched town centre that can serve the whole community is significantly important.

“There are many opportunities ahead for us, not least the prominence of our role to the UK’s green agenda, and the additional announcement in the Budget about the Humber bid for Freeport status being approved will only benefit the local area further in terms of local jobs and further investment in the area.”

The projects getting funded

Lincoln

In Lincolnshire’s capital, a £31 million wishlist of 14 projects include revamps of the Drill Hall, as well as the Barbican Hotel.

Regeneration of the Central Market in the Cornhill Quarter also features highly on the priority list of projects.

Money is also planned to go towards a new Hospitality Events and Tourism Institute and work in the Sincil Bank Area.

Plans also included the regeneration of a site on Tentercroft Street as well as transformation of Wigford Way through the centre of the city.

Skegness

Projects planned for Skegness include further improvements to the resort’s foreshore, as well as establishing a new further education facility.

Renovations of the railway station and further transformation projects in the town centre are also a priority, as well as a new multi-user trail, a police training centre, a YMCA and development of the Skegness Gateway to the south of the town.

Mablethorpe

A new £12 million leisure centre is planned to receive some of the money from the Towns Fund.

This money could also go to a new transport hub and works on the colonnade at Sutton on Sea.

A new medical and innovation hub is hoped to focus on attracting healthcare professionals and research.

Money will also go towards the Seal Sanctuary and the National Trust at Sandilands.

Boston

In Boston, the projects include the development of a local radio station and media outlet “championing Boston” and broadcasting information about the town in a bid to “boost” its image.

It also has plans to transform the town centre and key gateway through funding public realm and green space improvements. Money could also go towards investing in “smart home” solutions as well as the conservation of St Botolph’s Church and Library.

Investment in the Trinity Centre will see the building refurbished for better use by church and community groups, while a new Centre for Food and Fresh Produce Logistics is planned.

All of this is on top of regeneration plans across the PE21 postcode and investments in Blenkin Memorial Hall, Shodfriars and Boston Train Station.

Scunthorpe

North Lincolnshire leaders are focusing their investments on creating an advanced manufacturing park with 4 million sq ft of space which is hoped to attract world-class engineering firms to the area.

Further development will include the town’s cultural quarter in and around Church Square and progressing work on a health and emergency services hub.

The development of around 500 new homes in the town and a skills development programme will be designed to ensure local people are best placed to take advantage of all the new opportunities.

Grimsby

The Greater Grimsby Board’s list of priority projects include the development of a new public square at Riverhead Square – the first phase of which has already started – along with better pedestrian and cycle loops connecting the town to Alexandra Dockside.

The Towns Fund could also go towards the next phase of a new major residential waterfront community off Garth Lane, as well as refurbishment of the Central Library and the development of Victoria Mill Quarter.

The board would also like to complete further regeneration of St James’ Quarter in the town.

A 41-year-old man has been arrested in Grantham on suspicion of the attempted murder of a child.

Police were called to Harlaxton Road in Grantham on February 22.

The man was arrested on suspicion of an offence of the attempted murder of a victim over the age of one.

He was also arrested on suspicion of engaging in controlling/coercive behaviour in an intimate/family relationship.

The man was later released on bail and the police investigation is ongoing, but no further details have been disclosed by the force.

The Humber sea port and East Midlands Airport have been named as two of eight locations successful in their bids for Freeport status.

Goods that arrive into a Freeport from abroad aren’t subject to the tax charges, called tariffs, that are normally paid to the government. These taxes are only paid if the goods leave the Freeport and are moved elsewhere in the UK.

The other Freeports will be based in Felixstowe & Harwich, Liverpool City Region, Plymouth, Solent, Thames and Teesside. The announcement was made in Rishi Sunak’s 2021 Budget on Wednesday, March 3.

A consortium from across the Humber submitted a bid for Freeport Status in February this year. It was led by port operator ABP, with support from local authorities in Hull, East Riding, North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire, as well as the Greater Lincolnshire and Humber LEPs.

The region is already home to the UK’s busiest port complex, including four major ports of Hull, Goole, Immingham and Grimsby. Combined they handle around 17% of the nation’s trade.

The new Humber Freeport will contain custom zone sites all across the region including the four main ports.

Three new tax sites on both banks of the Humber will incentivise growth in new manufacturing, research and development and green energy jobs. One of the three sites is located on the Able Marine Development Park in Killingholme, with the other two in Hull and Goole.

Simon Bird, ABP Humber Director and Chair of the Humber Freeport Steerco, said: “Over the coming months we will be focusing on delivery to create the new Freeport, which we expect to bring in major investment to our part of the world and will lead to over 7,000 new jobs for the Humber.

“The benefits of this will be felt far beyond just the Humber, but across Yorkshire, the Midlands and the North West as well.”

He added: “We hope the Freeport will be up and running before the year is over and delivering on bringing new jobs to the Humber from 2022.”

Thousands of sustainable jobs will also be created across North Lincolnshire. There will also be money to help develop Scunthorpe town centre and fund Able Marine Energy Park (AMEP) in Killingholme.

Freeport status will also provide greater security for the future of steel making in Scunthorpe as British Steel is allocated as a special “customs” site. It will offer the area the opportunity to develop three types of sites within the designated Freeport boundary – customs, tax and seed capital.

The customs sites also include Inter Terminals in Immingham, as well as P&O Ferries, IBL Bulk Liquids, AAK International and two UM Group sites in Hull, and ABP’s ports in Grimsby, Goole, Immingham and Hull.

Pat Doody, Chair of the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “A Humber Freeport will turbocharge our economy and support levelling up in our area, bringing increased investment of £3.5bn and around 7,000 high-quality new jobs.”

Councillor Rob Waltham, Leader at North Lincolnshire Council, said: “I am delighted that we have been selected as one area in only eight across the country to be awarded freeport status. This will make North Lincolnshire a global gateway for trade and investment.

“We have worked hard with the area’s MPs and businesses to deliver this for the area and it is a fantastic show of confidence in North Lincolnshire and its people.

“This will help us recover and renew by delivering sustainable well-paid jobs and attract more wealth-creators to the region.”

Councillor Philip Jackson, Leader of North East Lincolnshire Council, added: “As part of the bid consortium, we believed we had pulled together a compelling and transformational bid for supporting sites across the Humber to provide long-term opportunities for jobs and growth and we’re naturally delighted that Government agreed with us.

“This will help the area make the most of the global opportunities now opening up to Britain and I’m confident it will see even further investment, jobs and opportunities for the Humber to flourish.

“In North East Lincolnshire, it means that we’ll be able to maintain the innovation and momentum we’ve built up in recent years across some of our most important economic sites.

“It really is exciting news and we’re looking forward to working with partners to make the most of the benefits Freeport status will bring to the area.”

Maria Machancoses, director of Midlands Connect, added: “It’s fantastic news that East Midlands Airport has been confirmed as the location of one of eight UK Freeports, as well as the Humber Freeport, which contains Immingham Port in Lincolnshire.

“We will now work in earnest with local authorities to make sure these site are well-connected, and that businesses have the road and rail infrastructure needed to trade with local, national and international partners.”