Devon seaside town misses out on £24m Levelling Up funding

Ilfracombe is on the north coast of Devon

People in a seaside resort in north Devon say missing out on £24m of government funding is a further blow to the town.

North Devon Council put in a bid for the cash from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

The funding is meant to boost economically deprived areas.

Ian Roome, the Liberal Democrat leader of North Devon Council, said the money "could have made a big difference" to Ilfracombe and its 11,000 residents.

He said: "And we would have seen results now, not in three or four years' time.

Ian Roome, leader of North Devon Council, said he had been optimistic about the funding bid

"That £24m would have seen results within 12 months. We can't budget...for three or four years time because we've got no allocation of those funds."

Central Ilfracombe is the most deprived area in Devon according to the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD), as reported by Devon Community Foundation.

Terry Elliott, a Labour member on Ilfracombe Town Council, said the north Devon town had "endemic, longstanding issues" around deprivation.

She said: "Once again, repeatedly, this has failed to be recognised by central government, and we've failed to get any funding for anything, you know?

"Where is the investment?"

Conservative councillor Paul Crabb said it could be time to look at more investment for Ilfracombe

Meanwhile, Paul Crabb, Conservative member for Ilfracombe Town Council and Devon County Council, said: "I think there's a great will that Ilfracombe should have got the money, and I think even amongst government, there's a will that Ilfracombe should have this money, but the requirement was to create a truly exceptional case.

"The risk being that if you give Ilfracombe £24m, Blackpool would want £240m and Skegness would want £35m the following day."

In the town's High Street, members of the public said Ilfracombe regularly missed out on funding.

Resident Emma Kenny said: "This town could really do with an injection of positivity, you know, where we can all stand together and really make a difference.

"There are things that we need that we just don't have."

A spokesperson for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) said: "We understand this is a disappointing decision for the community and are working with the council and other partners in Ilfracombe to make them aware of other levelling up initiatives they would be eligible for."

The DLUHC added it was investing" significant amounts of money" in levelling up across North Devon.

It said its "mission to level up across the UK" continued, with over £15bn awarded to date.

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