DEPUTY Prime Minister Nick Clegg has today signed the agreement that will put money in the bank next month to improve some of Dorset’s busiest roads.

The money will fund the major rebuild of the A338 Bournemouth Spur Road, which will get underway after this year’s tourist season.

It will also bring a package of schemes to improve access to the port of Poole and unlock growth at Bournemouth Airport.

Mr Clegg was at Cobham in Wimborne to release £66million of government grant money by signing the first round of the government’s Growth Deal for the county.

A second round of investment will take the total to £79m and include a second access to the Spur Road near Royal Bournemouth Hospital and a new ‘business incubation centre’ at Bournemouth University.

The government says the Growth Deal could mean up to 26,000 jobs and 3,000 new homes in Dorset by 2021.

Mr Clegg told the Daily Echo: “I think it will make a massive improvement – the road access to the A338, the road access to the industrial park, the state of the airport, access to Poole Harbour, investment in apprenticeship, building more homes, the boost to the digital economy in the local area which is so important.

“And all of this is part and parcel of renewing and rewiring the economy here in the local area just as we are renewing and rewiring the economy generally after the near death experience we endured back in 2008.”

Gordon Page, chairman of Dorset Local Enterprise Partnership and former chairman of Cobham, said: “We’re delighted to have the Deputy Prime Minister down again. He was down to make the announcement of the deal and indeed of the second round of the Growth Deal.

“Today marked the signing of the first round, £66m worth of investment from central government into Dorset, covering the two biggest schemes, the complete rebuild of the a338 and all the roads around the airport and the rebuild and design of the infrastructure around the port of Poole.”

He said clearance work was already underway for the Spur Road rebuild to start after Bournemouth Air Festival this year.

“Several times we’ve nearly got there but this time it will happen. As part of the flexibilities we’ve won for the LEP, the first tranche of money of this £66m will be paid into the bank accounts on April 6.”