EAST Lancashire has been given a 'fantastic' £38million budget cash boost.

The government grants - £20m for Blackburn with Darwen and almost £18m for Rossendale - were announced by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt in his financial statement to MPs yesterday.

The former will be used to help pay for the council's proposed £60m skills and education campus on the current Brown Street car park as the heart of a new Blackburn Business Innovation District.

The project aims to accelerate the first phase of the council's £250m masterplan for Blackburn town centre.

The money will be available immediately for work to hopefully start on the campus later this year.

The Rossendale £17.9m will finance the redeveloping the site of the existing Bacup market, reconfiguring Rawtenstall market, streamlining the gyratory traffic system in Rawtenstall, and creating a new centre for skills, education and training in the town.

The news was hailed as 'fantastic' by Blackburn with Darwen Council's Labour leader Cllr Phil Riley and Rossendale and Darwen Tory MP Jake Berry.

Mr Hunt told the House of Commons: “I will invest over £200m in high-quality local regeneration projects across England.

“And I will make over £400m available for new Levelling Up Partnerships in areas that include Redcar and Cleveland, Blackburn, Oldham, Rochdale, Mansfield, South Tyneside, and Bassetlaw."

A Treasury spokeswoman told the Lancashire Telegraph: "£20 million is being made available for Blackburn and Darwen Borough Council - funding for the package makes use of unallocated departmental spend from the Department for Levelling Up Housing and Communities (DLUHC).

"DLUHC has identified projects shortlisted for the Levelling Up Fund as a suitable pipeline of recently assessed good value for the taxpayer projects, that can make a difference to communities quickly.

"This includes the Blackburn Business Innovation District Phase One – Skills and Education Campus.

"Recognising the importance of boosting pride in place, this package invests specifically in high-quality regeneration projects that were originally submitted for the Levelling Up Fund as these projects have already been robustly assessed and are able to commence delivery this year."

The £20m announced in The Budget is the second half of Blackburn with Darwen Council's Levelling Up Fund bid which saw £20m for transport improvements including a major upgrade of the Guide Junction Five of the M65 motorway awarded in January and comes on top of a £25m government grant towards the £100m Darwen Town Deal.

Former Conservative Party chairman Jake Berry said: "This is fantastic news.

"East Lancashire has taken centre-stage in the Chancellor's Budget with almost £38million for Blackburn with Darwen and Rossendale.

"The £20m for education and skills will benefit everyone on the borough of Blackburn with Darwen.

"I am delighted we have secured £17.9 million from the Government to transform our Rossendale Valley. That means improving our town centres so that we can welcome more visitors and shoppers. Updating the road network to improve traffic flow. And up-skilling our work force for the needs of local businesses."

Cllr Riley said: “This is fantastic news for our borough.

“The council is carving out a really strong reputation for Blackburn with Darwen as a place to invest and do business and this further cements that.

“We are absolutely determined to create a more prosperous borough where no one is left behind.

“This new funding will help us build on that and we’re looking forward to working out the finer details with government.”

Blackburn Labour MP Kate Hollern said: "This Budget was a chance for the government to unlock Britain’s promise and potential. Communities are incredibly ambitious for their futures, but the government have undershot that ambition and have decided to continue with their sticking plaster approach.

"I'm nevertheless pleased to hear that the government has listened to my calls for more support to Blackburn and has trusted the borough's Labour council to deliver for residents."

Rossendale Council leader Cllr Alyson Barnes said: “We’re very pleased to have finally received almost £18m in funding which we first identified in our Levelling Up bid.

“We will focus on reconfiguring Rawtenstall market, redeveloping the site of the existing Bacup Market, creating a new centre for skills provision in Rawtenstall and streamlining the gyratory system in Rawtenstall.

“Rossendale is already a great place to live, work and invest but with this investment from central Government we can make it even better."

Hyndburn Conservative MP Sara Britcliffe said: "The budget delivered by the Chancellor today demonstrates further that it is only a Conservative Government that can achieve stability and growth.

“All of these measures will help hard working people in Hyndburn and Haslingden with the cost of living and and help them gain or maintain employment."