The Towns Fund

In 2019, central government invited 101 towns across the UK to bid for up to £25 million as part of a Towns Fund scheme, Bedford was one of the locations selected to produce a town investment plan and bid. Any funds received must be spent on the following areas:

  1. Urban regeneration, planning and land use
  2. Skills and enterprise infrastructure
  3. Connectivity

For further information visit GOV.UK and the Towns Fund prospectus webpage.

Projects undertaken as part of the Towns Fund must fall within the town deal boundary, which has been approved by the Town Deal Board. This map is based on Office for National Statistics 2011 Census data. It was produced by central government, but has been subject to minor changes by the town deal board.

The Town Deal Board 

The board is comprised of members of the local community that have a stake in the three objectives outlined by central government. This includes businesses, local leaders and community representatives. The Towns Fund prospectus provides guidance on which groups should be invited to ensure it remains representative of the community as a whole, rather than specific groups or interests.

For more information visit the Bedford Borough Democracy Portal, where you can access:

Identifying projects in Bedford 

Bedford Borough Council has liaised with residents and local organisations to identify the best prospective projects falling within the town deal boundary

The following approaches have been undertaken to identify projects for the Towns Fund:

  1. Engaging with residents through the Towns Fund consultation and the MyTown campaign (consultation now closed), available through the Government website.  
  2. Identifying and reviewing data already available to the council, including feasibility studies, public consultations and local plans.
  3. Consulting with members of the Town Deal Board to identify and develop project ideas that will benefit residents and local organisations. Any suggestions received through board members must already have evidence that demonstrates their benefit to Bedford.

Town Investment Plan Submission

Please view the final Bedford Town Investment Plan submission:

Contact the Towns Fund team 

If you have any feedback or queries about the Towns Fund, please email the team at Bedford Borough Council.