The Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities has released official feedback on the reasons officials rejected High Peak Borough Council’s £20 million bid to the Government’s Levelling Up Fund.
The Labour Council’s bid was assessed by independent civil servants on a range of criteria and scored poorly on the measures used to prioritise funding applications.
Ultimately, officials found that taxpayers could not assume liability for a plan which lacked detailed costs, timelines, or the relevant planning permission. As a result, the bid was not even shortlisted by independent officials for ministerial approval, with officials concluding:
“The lack of detailed designs, outstanding formal consents and an agreed land deal for the leisure centre site represented risks that could have impacted on the projected programme dates.”
The Department advised the Council of the need to appoint “design teams to work up planning applications and to undertake early construction company engagement” to confirm the project’s final cost. In the process, “more detail” was also required on the “monitoring and evaluation” of the project to ensure value for money and timeliness.
Similarly, the Council’s “Net Zero and low carbonisation plans were mentioned but lacked detail.”
Concerns were also raised about the Council’s failure to consult with local residents or include their views in the final bid, particularly regarding the closure of Glossop swimming pool in Howard Park.
This follows the Council’s failure to submit a bid to the first round of funding back in June 2021.
High Peak MP Robert Largan has expressed his frustration at the Council for excluding him from key moments in the decision-making process for the bid.
Despite meeting with the Council on multiple occasions and consistently chasing them, Mr Largan did not receive a copy of the Council’s full bid until just a few days before the extended final deadline. The Council also failed to follow up on a number of suggestions made by Mr Largan on strengthening the bid, including further engagement with residents and stakeholders, such as the NHS.
The Government provided more than £100,000 to help High Peak Borough Council develop a Levelling Up Fund bid. It is unclear how much of this money has actually been spent by High Peak Borough Council.
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities has confirmed that there will be a further opportunity to secure investment from the Levelling Up Fund. Mr Largan has requested an urgent meeting with the Council to discuss the Department’s feedback and pledged to work on a cross-party basis to secure investment for the High Peak.
The Labour Council are yet to respond to this request for a meeting.
Robert Largan, MP for High Peak, commented:
“I am bitterly disappointed that High Peak Borough Council have yet again failed to secure £20 million in investment from the Levelling Up Fund. This failure is particularly frustrating after reading the official feedback from civil servants on why the bid was rejected.
“Despite receiving over £100,000 to help develop their bid, the Labour-run Council dragged their feet on every key decision – missing the deadline for the first round of funding entirely – and failed to provide sufficient detail in their plans.
“The sad truth is, Labour failed to do their homework. Costs were unclear, residents weren’t consulted, and there was no timeline for construction.
“This was an historic opportunity for High Peak. It has sadly been squandered by Labour’s incompetence again.
“I have requested an urgent meeting with the Council to discuss the Department’s feedback and I remain committed to working on a cross-party basis to deliver for the people of High Peak.”
