Sunak’s £196m gift to ‘level up’ region
Cash to restore historic baths and other projects Move follows £1bn announcement for transport
CHANCELLOR Rishi Sunak this week announced £15.5 million in new funding to regenerate Moseley Road Baths, the city’s historic swimming pool which narrowly escaped closure.
The Budget contained a number of big spending commitments, including a previously announced £1.05 billion over five years for West Midlands transport schemes such as the Wednesbury to Brierley Hill metro expansion.
But the baths announcement is one of 11 smaller projects across the West Midlands to share in £196 million of funding for local schemes.
Mr Sunak said: “The investments in jobs, transport and infrastructure confirms our commitment to level up all regions of the UK including the West Midlands.”
Moseley Road Baths, a grade IIlisted Edwardian swimming pool which opened in 1907, had been under threat of closure for many years, until members of the local community took it over. They now manage it as a charity.
Also receiving a share of the £196 million is a project to improve the A457 Dudley Road in Birmingham; refurbish the Prince of Wales Theatre in Cannock; regenerate two brownfield sites in Bromsgrove town centre for use as commercial and cultural spaces, and clean up 20 hectares of currently unusable land in east Birmingham and north Solihull.
The Chancellor confirmed plans to give the West Midlands £1.05 billion over five years for schemes such as the Wednesbury to Brierley Hill metro expansion, creating bus lanes in Walsall, Birmingham and Solihull for “Sprint” buses, and creating electric vehicle charging stations.
The region is also set to receive more than £270 million of local roads maintenance funding between 2022-23 and 2024-25, which the Government says is enough to fill over three million potholes over the next three years.
There was an extra £2.6 million for Coventry’s year as UK City of Culture 2021 and £1.81 million to help regenerate Kinghurst Village Centre in Solihull.
But one thing missing from the Budget was a decision about the HS2 high speed rail line, following suggestions that the eastern leg of the line, linking Birmingham to the east Midlands and north east of England, could be downgraded or cancelled.
The Chancellor merely said the long-awaited Integrated Rail Plan, a Government document expected to reveal the decision, will be published soon.
However, Conservative West Midlands Mayor Andy Street welcomed the Budget.
He had previously been critical of the Government’s decision to end a £20-a-week increase in Universal Credit.
But the Chancellor has announced measures that will allow working people who receive Universal Credit to keep more of what they earn.
Many working people on lower incomes are eligible for Universal Credit, but their payments are cut based on how much they are paid.
Under the Chancellor’s new rules, the amount people can earn before benefit payments fall is increased by £500.
In addition, workers will now only lose 55p for every £1 they earn above this allowance, while they previously lost 63p for every £1. It means that working people on lower incomes will receive more benefits than in the past, increasing their income.
Mr Street said: “After an incredibly challenging 18 months, the Chancellor has delivered a budget that will make a real difference to people’s lives in the West Midlands.
“It is no secret that I had serious concerns around the removal of the £20 Universal Credit uplift and the impact that would have, but he has addressed those concerns emphatically by introducing a massive reduction in the taper rate to help keep more money in the pockets of workers across our region.”
Mr Street also highlighted an increase in skills funding, which will rise by £3.8 billion nationwide by 2024-25.
“I am also delighted that he has by put serious amounts of cash on the table for our three biggest priorities – public transport, brownfield land remediation, and skills and training.
“What this means is we can better connect our communities with new metro lines, train stations, and rapid bus routes; build more homes that are truly affordable whilst protecting precious greenbelt land; and help train people across the West Midlands with the skills they need to secure the good-quality, well-paid jobs of the future.”
Northfield Conservative MP Gary Sambrook said: “This budget is a spring board into a stronger economy.
“It delivers for Birmingham and the country, meaning world class public services, high skilled jobs, higher wages and helping with the cost of living.
“Infrastructure, innovation and skills has to at the forefront of everything we do so people have the security of a decent pay packet, and also enjoy the good things in life.
“Support for our hospitality sector, after a grim 18 months, means we protect jobs while enjoying ourselves in the local pub.”
But Labour MP Preet Kaur Gill (Edgbaston) said the Budget would not help people hit by increases in the cost of living. She said: “Rishi’s Budget shows just how much the
Even with these higher taxes, they still have no plan to fix our crumbling public services, putting more police on streets, to tackle the growing classroom sizes. Labour MP for Edgbaston Preet Gill, above
Conservatives are out of touch, have the wrong priorities and will achieve next to nothing for working families in my constituency.
“Under the Conservative Government, from next year our taxes will be the highest they’ve been in decades.
“But, even with these higher taxes, they still have no plan to fix our crumbling public services, putting more police on streets, to tackle the growing classroom sizes in our schools, or the ever-growing waiting times to get hospital treatment.”