19 January 2023 Councillor Jeremy Oates, Leader of Tamworth Borough Council, said:
“We are of course disappointed that our funding bid was unsuccessful. This funding opportunity gave us a chance to fast track our ambitious plans to continue to redevelop and regenerate Tamworth Town Centre, in particular the Gungate area of town.
“However, this is a small setback, and we remain dedicated to transforming Tamworth for future generations. We planned for this scenario and Tamworth Borough Council officers have been identifying alternative ways we can deliver our agreed vision for Tamworth.
“There is still much more planning necessary on alternative options before more can be shared, so, while we’ve not had this round of government funding, we are continuing to deliver on ambitious plans to transform our town.”
Background notes to editors
The Government has allocated £2.1bn in round two of levelling up funding and over 600 applications for funding were submitted with 111 receiving the money.
The Levelling up Fund was prioritised towards those authorities who were felt to be in the most need of investment by the Government and designated as a Category 1 authority. Tamworth was not identified as Category 1 which meant that the submitted bid required exceptional outcomes to be successful.
Tamworth Borough Council’s bid for £20million from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities was to redevelop land and buildings near and around the former Bingo Hall on Spinning School Lane.
The funding bid was one opportunity Tamworth Borough Council were seeking to deliver the Gungate masterplan that was consulted on in 2021. Other options are also now being developed.
The Levelling up Find bid was additional to the Future High Streets successful funding bid from Tamworth Borough Council which when combined with the South Staffordshire College funding will see over £40million invested on Tamworth town centre. This investment will lead to increased footfall in the town both during the day and into the evening.
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