Fury at proposal to withdraw £9m of town funding

The money was allocated by the previous government in March to support improvements in the Hucknall area

More than £9m of Levelling Up money previously allocated to a council is now at risk, after the government said it was "minded to" withdraw the funding.

The money had been earmarked for Ashfield District Council to be used for improvements in Hucknall, Nottinghamshire.

John Wilmott, independent ward councillor for Hucknall, says he is "absolutely furious" at the announcement, which was made on Wednesday, and will be "robustly challenging" the proposal.

Michelle Welsh, Labour MP for the area, stressed that the money had not been withdrawn but instead put out to consultation, and said the current government had been handed "a terrible inheritance" by its predecessor.

The £9,281,283 was announced at the Spring Budget in March by the previous Conservative government.

'Short-sighted decision'

On Wednesday, the current government said "given the need to make savings" it was minded to withdraw funding from Levelling Up Culture Projects and Capital Regeneration Projects, which included the funding for Hucknall, but said it would consult with the places in question before a final decision is made.

Wilmott said councillors, officers and local residents had "worked tirelessly for years" on securing funding to improve the area, adding that "Hucknall deserves better".

"We will be urgently seeking an audience with the minister over this devastating and short-sighted decision," he said.

“We have been desperately trying to meet with the minister in recent months to no avail, being completely stonewalled.

"We will be robustly challenging the government’s proposal to take this funding out of Hucknall, which has already been left behind."

Welsh said she would "continue fighting for the best opportunities for Hucknall and will advocate for the town throughout the process".

She added: "This Labour government has been handed a terrible inheritance after 14 years of chaos and financial mismanagement by the Conservatives, and the last government made a lot of promises to people but with no funding set aside to deliver them."