A GOVERNMENT grant of £750,000 is being used to buy properties in a rundown town.

Pendle Council chief executive Dean Langton has reported to senior councillors on the use of the cash from the Nelson Town Deal.

He highlighted that one of the policy objectives in the borough’s strategic plan flagged red for lack of progress was ‘failure to deliver the regeneration of Nelson’.

Mr Langton told members of the council’s Policy and Resources Committee that “the council has been allocated £750,000 of funding under the Nelson Town Deal for strategic investments. This funding has to be used by March 31, 2021.

“The Nelson Town Deal Board has met on two occasions during the first quarter of the financial year 2020/21.

“As part of their work, the board has agreed the council’s submission for the Future High Street Fund and the revised boundary of the Town Deal Area. Work has started on the development of the Town Deal Investment Plan which is due to be submitted to the Government at the end of October 2020.

“The Nelson Town Deal board has agreed the £750,000 is to be used for strategic acquisitions in Nelson and because of the nature of those acquisitions I can’t give the specific properties as they are subject to negotiation.

“The money has to be sent by the end of March and the Nelson Town Deal Board agreed it was probably best to use it to acquire things.”