Towns and cities across the West Midlands are being invited to share in a £3.6 billion government pot aimed at boosting jobs, transport and skills training.
The capital is intended to "rebalance the national economy and level up our regions", according to the Government which admitted certain towns had been neglected in favour of the big cities.
Among the 101 locations invited to apply for a share of the cash are Bloxwich, Dudley, Rowley Regis, Smethwick, Walsall, West Bromwich and Wolverhampton in the Black Country, Burton, Kidsgrove and Newcastle in Staffordshire, Nuneaton in Warwickshire and Redditch and Worcester in Worcestershire.
To bid for a grant, councils must draw up plans explaining how the money will be spent, with £173,000 allocated to each authority to support them in doing this.
Among the projects the funding could support are:
- Improving transport links to major economic assets such as large manufacturers and better links to local railway stations
- Redeveloping vacant sites such as empty factories for new business and leisure uses
- Easier access to training opportunities such as developing sites which have office space and training facilities next door
Local Government Secretary Robert Jenrick MP said: "We know that a bright and prosperous future lies ahead for the whole of the United Kingdom.
"However, for too long, the benefits of this unprecedented growth in many of our world-renowned cities has not been felt as strongly by communities in our towns and rural areas.
"But no place is exactly the same. That is why we want to help local people to decide how this investment of up to £25 million in each town can be used to help create new businesses, new jobs and new homes for generations to come."
A report published by the Government to launch the scheme said: "Successive governments have often focused on cities as engines of economic growth.
"While some towns have prospered through their links to growing cities, generally residential towns, including commuter towns, have seen declining populations.
"For those still living in shrinking towns, social mobility often falters, even when compared to the most deprived communities in cities.
"Where this is accompanied by declining quality of employment opportunities that can be accessed in towns, it can lead to feelings of being 'left-behind'.
"In addition, the decline in retail offer and business closures often leaves a very visible mark on town centres and the wider built environment."
