Ashington is set to benefit from a share of a £27 million investment aimed at revitalising coalfield communities across Britain. The Coalfields Regeneration Trust (CRT) is investing £13.5 million to construct industrial developments for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), fostering job creation and economic growth in areas including Ashington.
The UK Government is matching this investment through the Growth Mission Fund, managed by HM Treasury and the Department of Business and Trade. Taxable profits from rental income will be reinvested to support coalfield communities. In Northumberland, the CRT already collaborates with 25 grassroots community organisations.
Leaders Welcome Investment
Andy Lock, Chief Executive of the Coalfields Regeneration Trust, expressed enthusiasm: "This is fantastic news for coalfield communities, and this investment will deliver benefits for many years to come. I would like to thank Ian Lavery MP for the support he has given to make this happen."
Lock added: "Our industrial developments will create hundreds of jobs and economic growth for the coalfields, while the income generated will support more grassroots community organisations and vulnerable people in the coalfields. This funding will change thousands of lives in coalfield communities, taking us another step forward to address the challenging legacy of the pit closures."
Since April, the CRT has provided funding to local charities, including People and Drugs (Silx Teen Bar Youth Project), enabling ten young people to complete a CSCS course for construction jobs. It also supported ESCAPE Family Support with operational funding. Upon completion of the development, additional funding will expand support to tackle the legacy of pit closures from the 1980s and 1990s.
Addressing Employment Gaps
A CRT-commissioned study by Sheffield Hallam University, State of the Coalfields 2024, revealed that coalfield communities in Northumberland have only 45 jobs per 100 working-age residents, compared to the GB average of 75. This underscores the need for locally based jobs.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves stated: "These areas have been overlooked for decades, haemorrhaging talent with ingrained decline. Our investment in new industrial developments is one way we’re making it a stronger business destination where jobs and opportunity are created, not wasted."
She added: "If you are an entrepreneur in a former coalfield area wanting to start your own business - or are already a business owner there wanting to expand your company - we are backing you."
Future Plans and Local Impact
The CRT will confirm the location of the Ashington development in due course, with completion expected by the end of 2028. Ian Lavery MP, Member of Parliament for Blyth & Ashington, commented: "I am pleased to see the Treasury backing the Coalfields Regeneration Trust’s scheme to create much needed industrial space here in Ashington and across former coalfield communities."
Lavery continued: "Since the closure of the coal industry, communities like Ashington have too often been overlooked, and it is no surprise that employment figures continue to lag behind those in many other parts of the country. Investments like this have the potential to create much-needed jobs, attract further private investment, and help unlock economic opportunities for local people."
North East Mayor Kim McGuinness remarked: "The coalfields are the backbone of our north east identity, and they continue to shape who we are. But for too long, they have needed much more investment, and now we can see the next stage with significant job creation plans. When you look at the existing work of the Coalfields Regeneration Trust in places such as Ashington - the construction training that leads to a real career - you see the answers to the problems we face."
