£20m injection for the worst hit parts of London

RIOT-hit Tottenham and Croydon are to receive £20 million of investment to kick start economic growth and regeneration, Communities Secretary Eric Pickles has announced.

The cash is intended to help the two struggling London boroughs – focal points for last week’s disturbances - boost local business and create apprenticeship and job opportunities over the longer term.

The funds are being made available to the Greater London Authority immediately to be spent over the next three years.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson is to work with the boroughs to develop plans that may include redeveloping land for commercial use, improving transport infrastructure in Tottenham and establishing Croydon as a retail centre.

The money is in addition to £50m of recovery funding announced by the government last week to help areas bounce back.

Mr Pickles said: “Just as we want the whole of the country to share in the benefits of economic growth, so too do we want the whole of the capital to be thriving. London is a success story but it is a story that reads very differently depending on which borough you are in.

“This will breathe new life into both Tottenham and Croydon, enable them to get to grips with the challenges they face.”