Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to start the implementation of phase one of the Greater Grimsby Town Deal, and if he will make a statement.

The ground-breaking Greater Grimsby Town Deal was launched on 5 July 2018 beginning a stronger relationship between central government and local partners. The Town Deal meets a commitment to pilot a new approach to driving growth in our towns and was included in the Industrial Strategy, our long-term plan to boost productivity by backing businesses to create high-quality, well paid jobs throughout the United Kingdom, with investment in skills, industries, and infrastructure, as well as ensuring our places realise their full potential.

The Town Deal is focused on four inter-related themes, namely:

• driving economic growth
• accelerating housing delivery
• transforming Grimsby’s waterfront
• improving skills and educational attainment.

The Government has been working intensively with North East Lincolnshire Council, the Project Board, and the private sector on implementation since the launch of the Town Deal and there has been considerable progress.

We have continued to support delivery of the Grimsby Heritage Action Zone and, in January 2019, announced a further £3.2m investment in heritage, culture and creative industries as a catalyst for economic growth in Grimsby through DCMS’s Cultural Development Fund. We are delivering in skills too. The Department for Education announced that the University of Lincoln-led Institute of Technology (IoT) proposal was one of 12 successful IoT proposals that will be established across the country. The IoT will operate across Lincolnshire, including Grimsby, and will be a key plank of the Town Deal.

Progress continues to be made on implementation of the South Humber Industrial Investment Programme including starting important infrastructure works to get these strategic economic sites ready for market, including the Humber Link Road and highways improvements to Moody Lane.

We have also been working closely with the Council and other partners to support regeneration of Grimsby’s town centre and reconnecting it with its waterfront and we hope to be saying more about this in the near future.