Town revamp 'at risk' as project faces funding delay

Businesses and nearby residents of Liscard Way hope to see regeneration soon

A town centre regeneration project could be at risk if funding delays continue, a council has warned.

Wirral Council said the plans for Liscard were still “in doubt” because of ongoing talks with the government over a revised agreement for finances.

The authority has to show it can deliver the scheme by March 2026 in order to qualify for funding, but said it had made the government "aware that we will run into delivery problems if this [delay] does persist".

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has been approached for comment.

The government is expected to set out further details in due course.

The scheme was awarded £10.7m in November from round three of a Levelling Up grant but the total amount of what the council had asked for fell short by £1.3m.

Councillors decided to plug this gap back in January to help move the project forward.

When the funding was announced, the council was told it would have to confirm the initial bid will still benefit from government funding, show the project is still deliverable by March 2026 and continues to represent value for money.

'Confidence boost'

The agreement, called a memorandum of understanding, is non-binding but sets out what the council plans to do with the funding and how the local authority and the government will work together.

The agreement is needed so work can begin moving various different projects forward including a new community hub, new homes on Seaview Road car park, and other improvements to the town centre.

Of the three projects, a timeline has only been given for one, which would see improvements to the town’s high street between June and October 2025.

The plans come following widespread calls for a wider variety of shops, streets cleaned, anti-social behaviour tackled and pavements and roads improved.

Liscard councillorJanette Williamson said: “Liscard is on the up, it is seeing more and more independent businesses base themselves here, and this will go a long way to giving local traders and residents a well-deserved boost of confidence.”