South Holland District Council invests in summer initiatives to support town centres

Following South Holland District Council’s announcement on free car parking to support town centre businesses and market stall traders yesterday, leaders are set to announce further support packages and initiatives in the coming days.

As well as making short-stay car parks in Spalding town centre free until the end of September, the Council has also pledged its support by:

– Extending offer to traders of free market pitches across the District until October

– Consultation on future initiatives for the market, including new user friendly booking and support for new traders and micro-businesses to try a stall

– Opening the South Holland Centre in late July for a summer programme of films

– A programme of live entertainment and events in the town centre, including on market days

– Extending opening days of public toilets in Spalding and further investment in facilities across the District

– Additional resource for the cleaning and maintenance of town centres and high streets

– Working with Boston College to help businesses, traders and residents with their digital skills.

These initiatives are hoped to encourage shoppers to the town, following a challenging 15 months of Government national restrictions.

Since the first national restrictions in March 2020, the Council has administered almost £30million of Government financial assistance to around 2,000 businesses across South Holland.

In addition to this, the Council has received £86,000 as part of the Government’s Welcome Back Fund, as well as investing £500,000 of local taxpayers’ money into town centre improvements, as was announced in the 2019-20 council budget.