Funding will 'breathe new life' into towns

Mayor Ros Jones says Doncaster will receive £61.5m under the Pride in Place scheme

Deprived areas in South Yorkshire are set to receive £20m each to improve their communities.

The grants come from the government's Pride in Place scheme and the funding will amount to £2m a year over a 10 years.

Doncaster's mayor Ros Jones said the money would "breathe new life into some of our most deprived communities".

However, opposition councillors said they hoped the funding would not be wasted on "failed schemes" or "vanity projects".

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, New Rossington, Conisbrough North and Mexborough West are the local beneficiaries of the funding in Doncaster, with Doncaster Central also receiving a £1.5m boost.

The mayor said she was "delighted" with the £61.5m allocation and local MPs also welcomed the funding.

Ed Miliband, Doncaster North MP and Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, lauded yet another investment in Mexborough, which follows the government's commitment to delivering £12.5m to regenerate the town centre.

Conisbrough, in Doncaster, is one town set to receive £20m under the scheme

Conservative councillor Jane Cox said: "Any money invested into Doncaster on top of the millions already invested by the previous Conservative government is welcome.

"However there are many towns and villages across the borough that would benefit from investment, so why is so much going to one place? We hope the money will be used for job creation and not more vanity projects."

A Reform UK group spokesperson said: "We welcome investment into Doncaster's communities, but let's be clear, this is taxpayers' money, not a Labour gift.

"Too often in the past funding has been wasted on failed schemes and headline projects that don't deliver for residents.

"Reform councillors will insist on transparency and accountability so that every pound goes into real improvements people can see and feel in their daily lives."

'Transformational change'

Other areas in South Yorkshire receiving £20m are Batemoor, Jordanthorpe and Parson Cross in Sheffield and Maltby East in Rotherham.

Jake Richards, MP for Rother Valley, said "time and time again" residents of Maltby tell him it has not had the investment it needs.

"This investment gives Maltby an opportunity to go through transformational change over the next ten-years," he said.

Richards added Chancellor Rachel Reeves visited the area to see the issues the Pride in Place programme sought to address.

"Over the coming months, residents, community stakeholders and local groups will have the chance to share with me where they think the money should be spent," he said.

"I am looking forward to working with people in Rother Valley to deliver positive, long-lasting change."

Pride in Place is part of a national £5bn investment for 339 "overlooked" communities to improve high streets, parks and public spaces, the government said.

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