Barnsley’s second levelling up bid worth £26m submitted

Barnsley lost out in the first funding round last October – and was the only place in South Yorkshire not to be awarded any cash for its two bids.

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.

However, the council has now submitted two bids, worth £26m, in the second round of funding.

The bids will be assessed by the Government, and an announcement is expected by November.

The two schemes – called ‘Barnsley Futures’ and ‘Elsecar Forging Ahead’ – will cost around £747,000 to develop, which the council will fund through the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority.

A report to cabinet states that risk is involved with submitting the bid – as thee projects must be completed by March 2025.

The “aggressive timescale” of the project means that there is a “bigger risk around the council being unable to accept funding awarded through Levelling Up in relation to an inability to meet the project deliverability test,” the report states.

Cabinet is recommended to agree to resource the ‘at risk’ spend required to take schemes included within both bids up to RIBA Stage Three from the feasibility fund allocations as provided by SYMCA to support projects in Barnsley.