COLCHESTER Council has announced plans to spend another £736,000 on things like roads, community safety and lighting up the town's historic walls.

Plans to spend the extra cash, which was previously unallocated funding from the council's New Homes Bonus, were announced by the council's cabinet in preparation for the new municipal year.

An extra £100,000 funding is proposed for Colchester's Local Highways Panel, which will be allocated to schemes across the borough.

Improvements to signs and street furniture is set to be allocated £110,000, £26,000 has been allocated for events and £50,000 will be given to improve residents' health and wellbeing.

David King, councillor responsible for resources, said: "We have collectively long had a pride in our award winning museums, in Castle Park and our heritage.

"Last year we allocated £200,000 to this which will bear fruit this year and this papers sets out another allocation of £60,000 for town wall condition surveys work and for lighting projects.

"Last year we invested £300,000 through to 2021 to strength community policing and we will invest again.

"We will now invest a further £60,000 in a partnership with rural communities, details to follow, together with our earlier budget announcements this means we've committed another £200,00 for next year to help strengthen police resources, to take antisocial behaviour enforcement action, improvement CCTV and increase car park security."

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The cabinet also announced plans to help improve youth engagement and is set to offer match funding for community projects in Colchester.

Mr King said: "Everything we do seeks to strengthen the community. Few issues have caught the attention recently more than youth engagement and knife crime.

"We must play a part, however small it may be in reversing that tide. We must do everything we can to help young people and those who help them.

"This is not quick work, or a promise there will be quick solutions or change, but we have set out commitments to match funding projects in total of £150,000 which I will believe can make a big difference."

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