A cash windfall is set to improve Wantage town centre. After a five-year process to secure funding, the town council was this week due to sign, seal and deliver the final agreements to secure £98,000 from the South East England Development Agency (Seeda).

It will enable work to start on smartening the town centre to boost shopping and tourism.

A dozen shops and pubs have already expressed an interest in using a new £40,000 fund to improve their frontages.

Under the Seeda-funded scheme, stores will be able to apply for up to £5,000 to cover half the cost of improving their outside appearance, under an initiative proposed by promotional group Wantage Rejuvenated.

Chris Mitchell, who owns Heart to Heart card and poster shop in the Regent Shopping Mall, said: “We all know the town has suffered a little bit in the last couple of years, and anything we can do to brighten the look of the shop, and contribute to the appearance of the town, is something we want to do.

“There is no doubt that there are a number of shop fronts in the town, and ours is one, that need to be improved.”