Row breaks out over levelling up funding in Barnsley

A political row has broken out about whether local authorities have lost out on funding over the last five years.
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Labour say Barnsley has seen a change in funding, net of fund allocations in real terms of minus £29m, after analysing levelling up and community renewal funding, and cuts to the council budget since 2018.

Labour say that 144 local authority areas were still worse off even after receiving Levelling Up funding.

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Labour say Barnsley has seen a change in funding, net of fund allocations in real terms of minus £29m, after analysing levelling up and community renewal funding, and cuts to the council budget since 2018.Labour say Barnsley has seen a change in funding, net of fund allocations in real terms of minus £29m, after analysing levelling up and community renewal funding, and cuts to the council budget since 2018.
Labour say Barnsley has seen a change in funding, net of fund allocations in real terms of minus £29m, after analysing levelling up and community renewal funding, and cuts to the council budget since 2018.
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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.

The aim of the funding was to regenerate town centres and high streets, upgrade local transport, and invest in cultural and heritage assets.

However, a spokesperson for The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said that the analysis was ‘misleading’, and didn’t take into account funding that has already been allocated.

“It doesn’t take into account funding already allocated and ignores the fact that areas are still receiving EU structural funding and will continue to do so until the end of 2023,” said the spokesperson.

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“UK-wide funding for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, worth over £2.6 billion, will ramp up to at least match receipts from EU structural funds, which on average reached around £1.5 billion per year.

“In addition, our proposed 2022/23 settlement makes an extra £3.5 billion available to councils, including funding for adult social care reform.

“For Barnsley Council, this is a proposed increase of up to 8.2 per cent on last year in cash terms, worth £16.5 million, and means their proposed Core Spending Power will be up to £218.8 million.”

Dan Jarvis MP, Mayor of South Yorkshire and Barnsley Central MP said: “Amid all the sound and fury over levelling up, the reality is that in virtually every part of England, Conservative cuts to local government funding since 2018 far outweigh what has been given in that time from the main levelling up funds – by an average of £50m across 144 local authority areas. Barnsley for example is almost £30m worse off.

“In South Yorkshire the picture is particularly stark.

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“From 2021, European Union support to our region would have increased to £900m over seven years, but the government has so far failed to replace it despite promising we would not lose out.

“I have repeatedly asked the government for long-term, genuinely transformative investment for our region – to tackle the much deeper roots of the challenges across South Yorkshire; from skills to health and public services to business investment. They have consistently failed to meet the challenge.”

The picture in Barnsley

Barnsley received £23m from the governement’s Towns Fund, which is being invested in the Dearne Valley, but lost out on levelling up funding for Elsecar and the Town Centre.

Councillor Sir Steve Houghton CBE, Barnsley Council’s leader, last week approved a new investment plan, which lays out the authority’s priorities for various pots of external funding.

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The place based investment plan was dubbed by cabinet as Barnsley’s own levelling-up fund, But Sir Steve says the council’s aspirations ‘need to be supported by fair and well-planned national investment’.

Councillor Sir Steve Houghton CBE, said: “In October 2021, we were overlooked by the government for vital funding in round one of the government’s Levelling Up Fund.

“This was a devastating blow, and it highlighted further that the government has yet to recognise the deprivation that has occurred in areas like Barnsley through years of underinvestment and the challenges we now face due to the impact of the pandemic.

“We’re focused on providing essential public services and developing Barnsley as a great place to live, work and invest while trying to get a fair deal for our residents, communities and businesses and ensuring that they don’t miss out any further.

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“This is why we’re creating our own levelling up plans. Our Barnsley Place-Based Investment Plan is ambitious and sets out a future for the whole borough, ensuring that we are in a solid position to secure funding through various sources, including the South Yorkshire Renewal Fund.

“It’s a plan focused on giving residents, especially our young people, a better future. We’ve already invested £5 million into our six Principal Towns and ten Local Centres, with another £30 million planned over the next five years, helping our high streets to thrive into places people are proud of.

We’re securing better, affordable and sustainable homes and better transport links for residents and potential businesses investing in Barnsley.

“Barnsley Council will always be committed to seeing the whole borough thrive as a place of possibilities.

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“However, against this, our vision and aspirations need to be supported by fair and well-planned national investment to help our economy recover.

“We want to see a clear long-term strategy from the government for ‘levelling up’ to show how this will support some of the hardest-hit places in the North, such as Barnsley.”