Six town high streets to receive cash to boost trade in Milton Keynes

A £360,000 council windfall is to be shared among six local high streets to help them recover after the Covid pandemic.

The money will help the appearance and attractiveness of the areas.

Milton Keynes Council received £240,000 of the cash from the government's Welcome Back Fund and has come up with the remainder from its own economic recovery plan.

The high streets that will benefit are Newport Pagnell, Olney, Stony Stratford, Wolverton and Greenleys, Bletchley and Fenny Stratford.

Funding will also be going to the My Milton Keynes Business Improvement District to invest in Central Milton Keynes.

Parish councils and business associations will be able to use the money to host local shopping events and promote campaigns to attract shoppers. For example, Newport Pagnell plans to hold more local shopping events, complete with art exhibitions and even ghost tours, and also provide more attractive benches in the Castle Meadow end of town.

Stony Stratford Business Association, which organises Christmas lights and other hanging flower baskets around the town, said their money would be "very well spent."

MK Council is also working with other areas to bring improvements and will be making further announcements soon.

Deputy leader and Cabinet member for Economic Development, Cllr Robin Bradburn, said: “I’m really proud of our efforts to support our high streets during these tough times. The Welcome Back Fund and our Economic Recovery Plan are just a couple of ways in which we’re helping deliver a fair and balanced recovery from the pandemic.”

You can hear more about how the money will be spent here.