COLCHESTER MP Will Quince has called on the borough’s council to “think big and have real ambition” when it bids for up to £25 million of Government investment.

The Government is looking to pump £3.6 billion into 101 towns across the country, including Colchester.

With each location looking to secure up to £25 million of the cash pot, local authorities must set up a board led by a business professional to come up with a plan on how to invest.

Appealing directly to Colchester Council’s Lib Dem leader Mark Cory, Conservative Mr Quince said he is concerned the authority has a “poor track record” when it comes to vision, ambition and listening to the public.

He pointed to the council’s part in funding a £200,000 elephant structure and its bid to change the town’s slogan with new signs.

He said: “The Towns Fund is all about being open by default, engaging with private investors and developers and ensuring that there is community involvement from the outset.

“I want Colchester to think big, have real ambition and aim to secure as much of the £25 million available as possible.

“Not on elephant sculptures or tinkering with signage, but a really significant capital investment project which we can be proud of as a town and which will help breathe new life into our town centre.”

But Mr Cory accused the MP of being misleading.

“He has claims that he has successfully got £25 million for Colchester, that is not true,” said Mr Cory.

“We have £173,000 to spend on a bid for a pot of £25 million.

“He is being misleading, we haven’t got £25 million, we only have the chance to bid for up to £25 million.”

He added: “We are doing everything we can regarding bringing together businesses and, of course, a business person will chair this group.

“When it comes to working on the town centre we hope to claim as much from the Government as possible.

“With so many cuts to local authority funding we have done a good job to balance the budget.

“Of course, £25 million is a drop in the ocean, but we will take as much as we can.”