Barnsley youth projects get £10m levelling up funding

The new Northern Academy for Vocal Excellence will provide a home for the world-renowned Barnsley Youth Choir

Youth projects in Barnsley have been awarded more than £10m from the government's levelling up fund.

The money will be used to build an activity park in the town centre incorporating a skate park, bike track and play areas.

A wellbeing centre for young people and an academy offering singing tuition will also get funding.

The town was unsuccessful in a £16m bid to develop Elsecar Heritage Centre into a tourist destination.

There will also be a contribution towards the refurbishment of The Civic cultural centre.

Barnsley Council leader Sir Steve Houghton CBE said he was disappointed to lose out on the Elsecar money but said the £10.2m would help "offer even more opportunities and reasons to visit, particularly for our young people".

"We're using this funding to improve the educational, wellbeing and health outcomes of Barnsley's young people, and to improve cultural engagement for everyone through making further improvements to The Civic," he said.

"That's because Barnsley's a place that fosters and grows ambition, enabling everyone to be the best they can be."

Some of the £10.2m will be spent on refurbishing The Civic arts centre

The new Northern Academy for Vocal Excellence will be housed in former council offices behind the town hall and provide a home for the Barnsley Youth Choir.

The choir's artistic director Mat Wright said he was "thrilled to receive this significant funding".

"We will be working with some of the greatest international experts, and it is going to be a space for people of all ages to learn and train with the very best in the world," he said.

Elsewhere in South Yorkshire, there was disappointment that the county failed to secure £30m in funding to develop public transport.

South Yorkshire's Mayor Oliver Coppard described the decision as "deeply disappointing".

"This latest let-down is an attack on our local ambition to fix our public transport network; it comes at a time where South Yorkshire has lost 15% of its bus network, whilst places like London and the south-east see theirs grow yet continue to receive levelling-up funding," he said.