BRIDGWATER and Glastonbury will both get between £500,000 and £1m to spend on projects such as improvements to parks, high streets and local transport.

Today (Tuesday, June 30), the Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the funding as part of a wider economic package designed to accelerate infrastructure projects and 'fuel the country's economic recovery following the coronavirus pandemic.

Towns across England that have successfully been selected to receive investment via the government’s Towns Fund will benefit from a share of £96million to accelerate investment in their town centres and high streets this year.

As part of this, nine towns in the South West including Bournemouth, Bridgwater, Camborne, Glastonbury, Penzance, St Ives, Swindon, Torquay and Truro will each receive between £500,000 and £1million on town improvement projects.

Bridgwater MP Ian Liddell-Grainger says the investment will accelerate the town’s development into the most vibrant economic centre in Somerset.

“We face a huge challenge to get the country back on its feet after the economic damage that has been inflicted by coronavirus,” he said.

“But I am particularly pleased to see that while the Prime Minister has spoken about the need to inject billions nationally into infrastructure projects he has not overlooked the ongoing process at local levels of transforming those town centres which have suffered from historic under-funding.

“An investment on this scale in Bridgwater is going to speed up the process of making the town centre a far more attractive place to live, work and shop - to the eventual benefit of all facets of the local economy.”