Town leaders want to hear about projects aimed at improving Swindon town centre.

Swindon Borough Council has made a bid for £25m of funding from the government’s £3.6bn Towns Fund.

It has set up a board of people from both the public, private and voluntary sectors to lead the bid and find projects to use the money if the bid is successful

The board is now inviting applications for projects which could be included in the Town Investment Plan, which will be submitted to the government at the end of July.

Projects should be clearly defined and focussed on the town centre and should help increase productivity and growth of the local economy through investment in connectivity, land use, economic assets including cultural assets, skills and infrastructure.

Richard Newland, chairman of the board and director of branch and workplace development at Nationwide Building Society, said: “The Towns Fund is a fantastic opportunity for Swindon.

"The board is full of talent, expertise and local knowledge to help transform the town and I am extremely pleased with the pace at which it is moving to make sure we can be one of the first areas to benefit from this scheme.

The call we are making today is to make sure we don’t overlook any well-developed project ideas that exist in the wider community.”

Council leader David Renard said: “Particularly due to the economic challenges generated by Covid-19, the board is working at pace to seize the opportunity of securing this funding which would be a massive boost to Swindon.

"The timelines are tight but we are confident that we can present an ambitious and deliverable plan to the government to secure the best possible outcomes for the town.”

Any organisation wishing to put forward a project should do so by 5pm on Thursday, June 11 and submission details can be found at www.swindon.gov.uk/towndeal