17 January 2012 Last updated at 13:29 ET

London 'town centres' get investment as extra £57m pledged

Peckham, where people posted messages of support for looted shops, will get more than £10m

London Mayor Boris Johnson has said £177m is being invested to regenerate the capital after public and private sector groups pledged an extra £57m.

He announced 23 schemes across 18 boroughs which will receive funding, including Bromley, Harrow and Peckham.

The funds will be used to create jobs and boost local high streets, including areas affected by the riots in August.

Green Party mayoral candidate Jenny Jones said focusing on "town centres" was not enough.

The £177m includes £70m from the mayor's Regeneration Fund, aimed at helping riot-hit areas, and £50m from the Outer London Fund, which is focused on developing Outer London boroughs.

Mr Johnson said the funds were aimed at "kick-starting" local growth because "prosperous local high streets are the collective beating heart" of London.

'Very worried'

"There's a massive potential for jobs and growth in those areas but they face a challenge from big supermarkets, developments, and everybody wants their high streets, their local shopping centres, to flourish."

Some of the projects announced include £10.6m to "revitalise" Peckham Rye station and to provide new commercial and retail space, £7.3m for Southall High Street, £5.3m to create a fashion outlet in Hackney, £5m for improvements to Market Square and Bromley Boulevard, and £3m to create a new town park and help businesses in Harrow.

However Ms Jones said the mayor should do more to help small businesses and not just focus on particular areas.

"I am very worried about what is happening to not just town centres but local shopping parades, which seem to be having businesses close almost every week."

The Liberal Democrats' mayoral candidate Brian Paddick said "these spaces will remain empty unless investment is prioritised for apprenticeships, training and skills that will directly transform the future work opportunities for so many young people who are unemployed across London".

A spokesperson for Labour candidate Ken Livingstone said the decisions taken by Mr Johnson, especially the recent rise in train and Tube fares as well as the decision to scrap "vital transport projects" such as the extension of the Croydon tramlink, had "hit Outer London hard".