Barnsley Council confirms it will submit two bids for second round of levelling-up funding

The first tranche of the government’s flagship levelling-up funding was announced in October 2021, during the Chancellor’s Autumn Budget and spending review.

Barnsley was the only place in South Yorkshire that was unsuccessful in its bid for the cash – Doncaster was awarded £18m, Rotherham almost £40m and Sheffield £37m.

Two bids were submitted for the borough – £19.5m for new enterprise and events spaces at Elsecar Heritage Centre, and £19.7m for new facilities for the town centre.

The deadline for the second round of funding is July 6.

Although details have not been revealed, BMBC’s cabinet spokesperson for regeneration and culture confirmed to the local democracy reporting service that the authority does intend to submit two bids.

Councillor Robert Frost, cabinet spokesperson for regeneration and culture, said: “We intend on making two bids for the second round of levelling up funding.

“Given the competitive nature of the process, we will not be commenting publicly and will provide further updates when appropriate.”

Speaking in the House of Commons on June 27 Stephanie Peacock, MP for Barnsley East asked the Secretary of State to consider the borough in the next tranche of funding.

Levelling-up was a cornerstone of the Conservative election manifesto in 2019, promising to “revolutionise local communities and support them to thrive” with local authorities being invited to bid for a slice of a £4.8bn fund.