Assurances Sought on Levelling Up Funding

Dundee City Council leader of the administration Councillor Mark Flynn is writing to the UK Government seeking assurances over £20 million of Levelling Up Partnership funding that had been identified for the city.

In May, the then Levelling Up Minister Jacob Young visited Dundee to outline a range of projects that would benefit from the cash.

Now, after the change of administration at Westminster following the General Election in July, Councillor Flynn has written to Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves and Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner about the issue.

In the letter he says: “With the change in leadership at the UK Government since the announcement on 9 May, I would like to seek assurances that the £20m funding package for Dundee is secured and confirmation of when funding will be released. The organisations and groups benefiting from this funding are also seeking this clarification as they are fundraising to deliver these commitments.”

Projects which were identified for support from the fund included:

• £5m backing for Dundee and Angus College, including £4.5m to build a new campus providing training opportunities in the digital, green skills, energy transition and construction sectors, and £500,000 for a new health and social care training facility
• £3m towards the creation of new Grade A office development on the Waterfront
• £2.5m for grassroots projects focused on enhancing opportunities for young people, improving safety, and benefitting the community
• More than £2m to improve access to housing and boost regeneration in the city centre, including by refurbishing vacant properties, and reviewing the condition of the local private rented sector
• £2m to develop a specialist centre for protein science in the Life Sciences Innovation District
• £1.2m to develop a bespoke permanent home for the Dundee Museum of Transport
• £1.1m to establish a legal tech education centre and workspace
• £500,000 to complete a 26-mile active travel route around the city, connecting neighbourhoods on the outskirts with each other and the centre

Councillor Flynn added: “I am sending this letter in my first week as leader, and I am hoping for a swift response from the UK Government on this issue. The £20 million of funding is identified for a number of vital projects that would help us continue the transformation of Dundee for the future.”

• Share this page:
• Share On Twitter
• Share On Facebook
• Share On LinkedIn