Keighley’s MP Robbie Moore has thrown his weight behind a local bid for Government funding, which could secure up to £20 million in investment for Keighley.
The Government have invited areas to bid for projects as part of the ‘Levelling-Up Fund’, which can deliver up to £20 million in funding to “support town centre and high street regeneration, local transport projects, and cultural and heritage assets.” As a result, proposals have been submitted for Keighley which include utilising the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway for commuter purposes, upgrades to local brownfield sites and new manufacturing hubs.
However, the bid came during the second round of applications. Moore has been critical of this, given Bradford Council failed to submit their bid during the first round of applications almost one year ago. Over 100 areas which submitted bids during the first round have now been allocated funding, meaning projects will be delivered much sooner than the proposals submitted during the second round.
Robbie Moore MP said: “The Government’s Levelling-Up Fund presents a great opportunity to secure tens of millions of pounds in investment for Keighley and the wider District, and I am therefore delighted to support the Keighley bid for funding on behalf of my constituents and our town.
We have already seen this Government ring fence funds for Keighley via the Towns Fund, and this bid will bring further important improvements to Keighley’s transport and economic offering, as well as securing much needed funding for the regeneration of the town, brining brownfield sites back into use. This application for funds is of course on top of the £33.6 million that has already been secured for Keighley as part of the Government’s Towns Fund programme.
Whilst it is frustrating that Bradford Council are only submitting this bid now for our town, rather than last summer when they were initially invited to do so by government, I am pleased they have eventually pulled their finger out. Had they submitted it during round one of applications, which delivered funds for almost 100 areas across the UK, we may already be seeing progress on these projects, as is happening in other areas of the country.”
