Labour MP Glenn Bedingfield has been tasked with leading a team that will develop "a strategy for Cottonera", the government announced this evening.

"Conscious of the challenges people in and around the Three Cities are facing, the Government intends to launch a strategy for Cottonera aimed at the improvement of the social and environmental standards of the area," the government explained in a statement.

"New recent developments and investments in and around the Cottonera area brought new challenges, and the Government deems it fit that a strategy for this area is needed now more than ever."

The strategy aims to develop short-term and long-term goals for the regeneration of Cottonera through a cohesive regeneration plan.

The government said that Mr Bedingfield will also be tasked with coordinating meetings of the Cottonera Rehabilitation Committee and to liaise and consult with stakeholders involved with regard to the restoration projects carried out by the same committee.