Prime Minister Theresa May has announced that a £1.6 billion fund will be established to boost growth in places that have not benefited from the "proceeds of growth in the same way as more prosperous parts of the country".
The money will go towards the creation of new jobs, training for local people and boosting economic activity, with communities having a say on how the money is spent. It will be targeting coastal communities, market towns and de-industrialised towns, with possible projects including new university campus' or railway stations.
The Stronger Towns Fund has been allocated to the regions as follows:
A bidding process will be used to allocate £600 million to communities in any part of England, but the Government explained it wants to ensure Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish towns benefit from the funding.
Local communities will be encouraged to come together to draw up proposals to "restore pride and create new jobs in their area".
May commented that "for too long in our country prosperity has been unfairly spread. Our economy has worked well for some places but we want it to work for all communities".
"Communities across the country voted for Brexit as an expression of their desire to see change - that must be a change for the better, with more opportunity and greater control".
"These towns have a glorious heritage, huge potential and, with the right help, a bright future ahead of them".
The fund has received criticism that it does not cover cuts to local authority funding. Labour MP Alex Sobel has also said it is a "drop in the ocean" compared with the cost of leaving the EU.
The funding has also been considered a bribe to influence MPs regarding Brexit.
Communities Secretary James Brokenshire has dismissed this claim, that "this major new fund builds on more than £9 billion in City and Growth Deals we have delivered since 2010 to help hard working people reach their full potential and to build an economy that works for everyone".
"I look forward to working closely with local leaders to take forward their encouraging proposals and to hear what more they propose to bring benefits to their communities".
