Housing Minister John Healey has announced a multi-million pound boost to job opportunities in coalfield communities during the downturn.

It follows a series of new funding for affordable housing that could benefit former coalfield areas by up to nearly £200m.

The collapse of the coal industry in the 1990s blighted communities. A quarter of the male population in the coalfields lost their jobs, and nearly half of all ex-miners suffered long-term illness or injury.

The new Coalfields Growth Fund will offer £20m of government and private investment over two years, to support new and growing small businesses in or near former coalfield areas.

Mr Healey also confirmed that the lifetime of the £10m Coalfields Enterprise Fund would be extended to 2014, so communities will have five more years in which to invest this government money in supporting local employers through the downturn. Up to 400 jobs have been created and protected over the past five years through investment of this fund alone.

-- Advertisement --

Mr Healey said: "Entire communities were left devastated by the collapse of the coal industry 25 years ago. More recently, they have been dealt another blow by the global economic downturn.

"Over the past decade, the government has given coalfield areas over £500m to help them recover. They must continue to get the support they need as they face this new challenge.

"That's why I am announcing a new £20m fund to help small businesses get through the downturn, expand and offer valuable, much-needed, job opportunities to local people."

The government has continued to put comprehensive support in place for coalfield communities - including more than £500m funding over the past decade.

Most recently, Mr Healey announced £250m towards the largest council house-building programme for nearly two decades - £22.2m of which will go to coalfield areas to build over 350 new homes.

These areas have also benefited from £120m to build 2,536 affordable homes last year alone, and are set to benefit from up to £151m through the Kickstart programme to get stalled housing developments back on track and £42m for local councils to start building new council homes.

(CD/KMcA)