We’re up against 525 other bids for levelling up cash

BUT TOWN LOOKS TO HAVE EARLY ADVANTAGE AS IT GOES FOR £15M

ASHBOURNE’S bid for £15 million of regeneration funding is going up against 525 other bids, it has emerged, as the Government announces a huge response from local authorities across the country.

And it appears Ashbourne may have scored an early advantage, as the Derbyshire Dales is among 140 areas competing for a slice of the £4.8 billion funding pot to be placed in the top priority bracket, Category One, which means it has been selected as one of the places deemed in most need of investment.

Ashbourne Town Team, the group of volunteers that started the ball rolling and put in the building blocks that have led to the landmark bid, which was submitted on Sunday, July 31 by Derbyshire Dales District Council, maintains Ashbourne’s changes are still strong.

A spokesman for the group said: “We are delighted to hear that the Levelling Up Secretary is so enthusiatic about the wonderful response to the call for bids under Round two of Levelling Up.

“Ashbourne is in one of the 140

Category One areas for Levelling Up Two, which hopefully means that investment in our town will receive priority funding from the £4.8 billion national programme.

“Our bid for £15 million to transform the town centre will also lever in many millions of pounds of private and community sector funding emphasising the value for money of the Ashbourne bid.

“Just as important is that Ashbourne is ready to deliver the LUF regeneration programme. Projects are well advanced in design and many have planning consent.

“We look forward to good news on our bid and we are ready to start to transform Ashbourne ASAP with much needed LUF funding.”

The Government has stressed that, while preference will be given to bids from higher priority areas, the bandings do not represent eligibility criteria, nor the amount or number of bids a place can submit.

Bids from places in all categories will still be considered for funding on their merits of deliverability, value for money and strategic fit, and could still be successful if they are of high enough quality. More than £235 million from the first round of funding has already been invested into 98 town centre regeneration, transport schemes and cultural and heritage projects.

Levelling Up Secretary Greg Clark announced the impressive response to the Levelling Up Fund’s second round as he visited his department’s second headquarters in Wolverhampton last week. He met staff at the i9 Building and was later joined by West Midlands Mayor Andy Street on a walking tour of Wolverhampton city centre before going to the Commonwealth Games Cycling Trials at the city’s West Park.

He said: “We are continuing to deliver for communities across the United Kingdom by investing in projects. It’s exciting to see so many communities respond to the second round of our Levelling Up Fund with plans to improve their local areas.”

Previous successful Levelling Up Fund bids include the Wolverhampton City Learning Quarter which received £20 million of Levelling Up funding.

We look forward to good news on our bid and we are ready to start to transform Ashbourneasap.

Town Team spokesman