Wyre to battle on for 1m

Wyre Council has revealed that despite missing out on a £100,000 investment being handed out by the Mary Portas Pilot to help renovate town centres, it will still pitch for the £1m X Fund prize.

When towns such as Morecambe and Nelson were granted the £100,000 earlier this year, their pitches involve revitalising their town centres. Because more than 350 bidders entered, a further £1m was set aside for the best project to miss out on the initial money.

Despite the fierce competition, Wyre plans to continue with its redevelopment plans and will submit the results in 2013 when the pilot project is selecting its winner.

And though it recognises that implementing the changes will be tough without the support of a budget, and it essentially requires asking local traders to work harder for no extra financial incentive, it believes the results are worth fighting for.

Jane Littlewood of Wyred Up said: “Times are hard across the board with everything so anything like this funding, which encourages people to work together as a team, can only be a good thing.”