Government yet to release levelling up fund third round details

Somerset has benefited from the first two rounds of levelling up funding – with £10m being allocated to the ‘Bridgwater northern corridor’ road improvements in round one, and more than £19m being provided in round two to create a new health and social care academy in Bridgwater town centre (with a satellite site in Minehead).

Some of the numerous unsuccessful bids put forward by Somerset in round two could have seen the light of day in a different form when the third and final round of the levelling up fund began accepting bids.

But the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) has yet to release any details of the third round, or confirm whether it will actually go ahead – leaving these many worthy projects hanging in the balance.

The most recent official statement on round three came in early-June, when communities under-secretary Dehenna Davison MP responded to a question on the existing rounds in the House of Commons.

A bid for public realm improvements in Highbridge was turned down. (Image: Daniel Mumby)

The MP for Bishop Auckland said: “My department has undertaken a robust assessment and decision-making process in both rounds of the levelling-up fund.

“Taking on board feedback, we made a number of improvements to better support applicants in the most recent round, including by making £65m of support available to help with the delivery of projects.

“We are currently reflecting on the lessons learned from the first two rounds of the fund, and we will be making an announcement on round three shortly.”

Somerset’s bids in the previous two rounds were made by Somerset County Council and the four district councils respectively, with bids being made on the basis of parliamentary constituency boundaries.

All future bids will now be made by Somerset Council, which replaces the previous authorities in April – but to date, the council has received no guidance from the government on this matter.

A spokesman said: “No information has been made available on when round three of the levelling up fund will open for bids, nor any criteria that would form the basis of the bid.”

Dehenna Davison MP says an announcement on the third round of the levelling up fund will be made shortly. (Image: PA)

Three of Somerset’s bids to the second round were unsuccessful – namely:

• Somerton and Frome: the creation of co-working space in Wincanton and refurbishing the Frome enterprise centre
• Taunton Deane: regenerating Tonedale Mill and Tone Works in Wellington, as well as enhancing nearby green space
• Wells: public realm improvements in Cheddar, Highbridge and Shepton Mallet, including active travel schemes in all three areas

Each of the failed bids has received positive feedback from DLUHC officials, with the full responses being obtained by the Local Democracy Reporting Service under the Freedom of Information Act.

Here’s what the future holds for each of the failed bids:

Somerton and Frome

In a letter to then-Mendip District Council leader Ros Wyke, dated January 1, Ms Davison said she was “incredibly grateful” for the Frome and Wincanton bid, adding: “I appreciate how disappointing this news will be.

“My sincere thanks again for your application, and your support in our mission to help local areas level up across the UK.”

The co-working space in Wincanton could end up being delivered through the private sector, with South Somerset District Council granting permission in December 2022 to turn the former health centre on Carrington Way into a commercial hub.

The forward plan for the council’s executive committee includes a decision to “award the contract for essential refurbishment works at the Frome Enterprise Centre” on Manor Road, which is expected to come before the committee in October.

Plans to turn the former Bridgwater Hospital into a skills development and learning academy gained levelling up funds. (Image: Other)

Taunton Deane

DLUHC officials said this was “a relatively strong bid” by Somerset West and Taunton Council, which had “good detail on the economic case” for how the project would benefit the town and how deliverable it would be using the requested funding.

While the bid had “no glaring weaknesses”, the government said that it would have stood more chance of success if more detail had been supplied about how the council would have handled opposition to the proposals from the existing landowners.

Ahead of any future funding bid, the council is staging guided tours of the Tone Works site, allowing members of the public to see inside the 200-year-old, grade two star listed buildings and their historic machinery.

Councillor Ros Wyke, portfolio holder for economic development, planning and assets, stated in July: “This is a wonderful opportunity to see behind the scenes of an iconic part of Wellington’s history.

“It is a national treasure that we are trying to secure for future generations, and I hope people will seize this rare chance to see a precious part of the nation’s industrial history.

“We are so pleased to be able to welcome visitors and take a look back at the history of the site, while looking ahead to what the future might hold for this nationally significant part of our shared past.”

Free tickets for the remaining tours can be secured by visiting www.eventbrite.com/cc/unravelling-toneworks-2410909.

An artist's impression of improvements to the B3135 Cliff Street in Cheddar. (Image: Sedgemoor District Council)

Wells

DLUHC said this joint bid by Mendip District Council and Sedgemoor District Council was “relatively strong” and would “deliver a tangible positive impact” on the three communities.

The proposed improvements. they said, would “catalyse productivity, inward investment, job creation and revenue growth, boosting civic pride in the most deprived areas of the constituency”.

However, the bid would have benefited from “more consideration of any alternative options”, as well as a “more coherent economic case” and more details on how easily the projects would be delivered.

The new council has not indicated whether any of the projects could be taken forward in-house.

The authority recently secured £1.5m from the government’s active travel fund, which could be used on some of these projects – but officers have not confirmed where in Somerset the funding will be allocated.

Any third round bid based on these projects is likely to face opposition from Wells MP James Heappey, who branded the proposals “unimaginative” before the government’s decision was made.