Grant Thornton appointed to £3.6-billion Towns Fund

Leading business and financial adviser Grant Thornton UK LLP has been appointed to the Towns Fund delivery programme, as part of an Arup-led consortium.

The Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has appointed Arup to lead a multi-disciplinary consortium to help local authorities across England access the £3.6-billion Towns Fund. The consortium brings together leading organisations across the professional services sector, alongside Grant Thornton, including Copper Consultancy, FutureGov, Nichols, Savills.

The Towns Fund looks to support the regeneration of communities that have not benefited equally from UK growth, empowering 100 towns across the country to shape their own futures by granting them access to the necessary resources to plan and manage their public works projects.

It will allow local authorities to drive their long-term economic growth and productivity by targeted investment in transport, regeneration and town centres, supporting businesses and skills training.

It will also allow towns to strengthen their economic, social and environmental resilience, an objective that has taken on renewed importance as the UK plans its economic recovery in the wake of the COVID-19 situation.

To access the fund, local authorities will work alongside the consortium as they engage with their communities, public and private partners and investors to develop their own proposals for a ‘Town Deal’ to MHCLG.

As part of the consortium, Grant Thornton will focus primarily on providing expert advice on funding and finance strategy, commercial structuring, investment analysis, financial modelling and data analytics.

Ian Tasker, Director, Real Estate and Assets, Grant Thornton UK LLP, commented: “We are thrilled to have been appointed to support our local areas with the Towns Fund delivery programme. The Fund will provide places across the country with an opportunity to build towards a better future by focusing on improving their infrastructure and investing in their communities.

“Being part of the consortium allows us to offer extensive support to local authorities, drawing on the relevant expertise of each party, where necessary, to support in building the best future for their local communities. We’re looking forward to working closely with our local areas throughout this programme, and supporting them in driving their long-term growth and moving towards a more-sustainable future.”