SPENDING £25 million of Government funding in Hereford could future-proof the city for the next generation, mayor Kath Hey has said.

As a board member of #StrongerHereford, the group of local stakeholders behind the bid for the Government’s towns fund, Coun Hey has been involved with drawing up plans on how the money would be spent.

The bid has now finalised and sent off, with ideas such as electric buses, a library at Maylord Shopping Centre and a sports hub in Holmer in the plan.

“This is very much about future proofing the city for the next generation,” Coun Hey said.

“The city council is very much about being at the heart of our communities by connecting them, providing grants and an overall commitment to make sure they’re supported. But of course, our many communities are all different so there was a concerted effort to discover how we can make significant improvements whilst retaining what we love about Hereford.”

She said the city needs to recover from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic “when the time is right”, with all ideas in the bid adding up to £40 million.

She thinks too many people have lost their livelihood and young people have continued to migrate away from the city, meaning a focus on skills and growth seems particularly important.

“The towns fund is all about levelling up so essentially making Hereford an even better place to live, visit and work in,” she said.