“This investment will help to regenerate and breathe new life into our communities - giving local people the resources and powers they need to make a real change.”

Sheffield could benefit from a new £210m Government fund aimed at bringing empty and run-down buildings back into use.

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The new funding is intended to give councils and local communities more say over how empty and run-down buildings are brought back into use, although the Government has not yet announced how money from the £210m package will be shared across the country.

The Government says £125m of the total will help councils turn derelict buildings into places such as community centres, cafes, workspaces and health facilities.

A further £65m will help communities take over and improve local buildings and businesses, including pubs, clubs and shops.

The remaining £20m will support schemes designed to get long-term empty shops occupied and help communities set up co-operative businesses.

The announcement was made on September 25 as part of the Government’s plans to regenerate high streets, meaning the city could get a slice of this additional funding in order to regenerate derelict buildings.

Sheffield is already receiving separate funding through the Government’s Pride in Place programme.

The city’s £40m allocation is being split between Batemoor, Jordanthorpe and Lowedges, which will receive £20m, and Parson Cross and Fox Hill, which will receive a further £20m.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham said: “People don’t measure growth by looking at a spreadsheet. They measure it by looking at their local high street. Are shops opening or are the shutters down? Does the place feel like it’s moving forward or being left behind?

“The truth is that too many high streets have been left to hollow out, leaving town centres a shell of what they once were. That must change, and funding will help put power back into the hands of locals who know their area best.

“That’s how we restore pride and bring hope back. Not by telling people things are getting better, but by giving them the power to see and feel the difference where they live.”

First Secretary of State, Louise Haigh said: "For too long, places in every part of the country have been overlooked by Westminster. High streets neglected, town centres left in decline and local assets left to decay.

“This investment will help to regenerate and breathe new life into our communities - giving local people the resources and powers they need to make a real change.

“This is what devolution means in practice - empowering local leaders to fix things that are broken and protect the things that matter most to people.

“This is what a rewired state looks like: a Government focused on delivering for the people of the country and empowering communities in the hands of the people who live in them."