Rye & District Chamber of Commerce has made a successful bid for a share of £185,000 of levelling up funding, as confirmed by the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC). The money will be divided between Rye, Bexhill and Battle Chambers of Commerce according to their spending priorities as approved by DLUHC.
Rye Chamber chair, Jane Brook said: “We are delighted that DLUHC has recognised the need for funding to be distributed beyond local councils so that grassroots spending decisions can be made within communities. We met with DLUHC last November to discuss the priorities for Rye, and we subsequently submitted an outline plan for the deployment of this money in our town. Our business community is passionate about the changes that the town needs to make to thrive, and we have an ambitious strategy for ensuring that these plans can become a reality. To that end DLUHC is supporting plans for us to undertake a feasibility study for achieving business improvement district status for Rye which will be an important step in deciding the town’s future. Funding has also been approved for improvements to the public realm. We are very optimistic about what the next twelve months will hold for Rye.”
MP for Rye, Sally-Ann Hart added: “I was keen that Rye, Camber and the surrounding villages in our side of Rother district were not overlooked for the Rother Levelling-Up Partnership, and I am delighted that we have successful projects selected. I welcome the Department of Levelling-Up, Housing and Communities recognition of the valuable contribution that chambers of commerce make to their communities. This is an opportunity for the Rye and District Chamber of Commerce to explore the possibility of Rye achieving business improvement district status. If such status were to be achieved this would enable projects and services to be developed for the benefit of local businesses."
The funding comes from the total £20million investment to the Rother Levelling Up Partnership and is for the financial year commencing April 2024.
