Nottingham City Council has awarded a contract of up to £100,000 for work to be carried out that will help it in future rounds of the Government's Levelling Up Fund. It was announced in January that the authority had been unsuccessful on its three bids to the fund, which was first announced in 2020 as part of then Prime Minister Boris Johnson's aim to boost economic growth in areas lagging behind London and the South East.
The most recent round of the fund was the second that had taken place, with Nottingham City Council having been successful in securing £18 million from the first round in 2021, though it failed again on that occasion to secure funding for the Broad Marsh and the Island Quarter. The £18 million was used for the renewal of roads and pavements, street lighting and the installation of electric charging points across Nottingham.
Nottinghamshire Live revealed in February that Nottingham City Council had spent £250,500 on preparing its failed bids to the second round of the fund. The continued redevelopment of the Broad Marsh, improvements to Bulwell town centre and the Island Quarter were among the projects which money would have been used for if Nottingham was successful.
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Nottingham City Council has now awarded a contract worth up to £100,000 for a company to produce a 'Nottingham Economic Plan for Growth'. This is being funded by a Government grant and the council says it will "support the city council's plans for economic development and levelling up, including identifying and resourcing future bids to the Levelling Up Fund."
The grant money of £125,000 from the Government was accepted by Nottingham City Council in April, with the funding having been offered because the council was defined as being a 'Category 1' area. The council says this applies to "areas that are more disadvantaged compared to others based on indices of deprivation."
The cost of Nottingham City Council's failed bids in the most recent round led MPs to describe the Levelling Up Fund as a "flawed" process. But on the idea of rejecting the Government's grant funding to support future bids, the council said: "Nottingham City Council would fail to demonstrate its commitment to the government's Levelling Up agenda, putting at risk the council's ability to secure larger funds in the future."
In terms of who has been awarded the contract, Nottingham City Council, said: "The successful tender met all necessary criteria, including a good understanding of Nottingham and brought significant relevant experience." It is not yet known when the third round of the Levelling Up Fund will be launched, but Michael Gove said last week that another bid from Nottingham City Council would "absolutely not" be a waste of its time.
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