Burslem Indoor Market and Chatterley Whitfield will be among the sites set to benefit from £20 million of new levelling up cash in Stoke-on-Trent.

Stoke-on-Trent was one of 20 areas which were invited to form Levelling Up Partnerships by the government last year, with a share of a £400 million pot on offer.

Leaders at Stoke-on-Trent City Council and the government have now agreed how the money will be spent. Almost £6.5 million will be spent on regenerating historic buildings, while £2.5 million will go towards improving recreational facilities, with a new 'wellbeing campus' being created in Burslem in partnership with Port Vale.

Some of the funding will support the restoration of the Grade II-listed but crumbling Burslem Indoor Market, with the aim of bringing it back into use. And there will also be funding for a 'green growth strategy' at Chatterley Whitfield, another at-risk heritage asset in the city.

Leaders at Stoke-on-Trent City Council and the government have now agreed how the money will be spent (Nub News).

The Levelling Up Partnerships were first announced by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt in March 2023, and the city council had been hoping for an announcement confirming Stoke-on-Trent's allocation before the general election.

A city council spokesperson said: "It is a relief that we have this approval before the election drawbridge goes up. Council officers have been contacting the civil servants daily to try to get a decision.

"With approval finally given, we will now crack on with delivery at pace. What is great about the programme we have designed is that it brings benefit to many parts of the city and people of different ages and interests.

"There is a big focus on improving our town centres – Tunstall, Longton, Stoke – with money for improved public realm. We will also strengthen our response to antisocial behaviour across town centres.

"We will be working with Port Vale to improve leisure provision in Burslem. Many young people and adults will benefit from a new Green Skills centre at the Burslem campus of Stoke College. There is money to progress the restoration of Burslem Market, bringing the building back into public use and also a green growth strategy for Chatterley Whitfield, working with local businesses. Finally, we will be bringing forward a new City Centre plan.

"All of these projects will complement all the other work being delivered under the new corporate strategy to improve the wellbeing of our city."

All the Levelling Up Partnerships will be subject to a business case.

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