Here I welcome the huge investment the Conservative government has just announced for Worksop town centre.
This is a specific fund, which had to be applied for as part of a very competitive process nationally and to be spent with a particular purpose - in this case to regenerate a town centre in dire need.
It’s not a general pot of money to be divided up and spent however people want, so not a case of saying “we’ll spend £10m here and £10m over there”. The alternative is having zero money in this case, as it increases the chances of having a bid rejected.
This is why the bid that had the most chance of succeeding was chosen, which in this case was Worksop town centre, which was identified as a Category 1 area (the most in need). Many other areas over the country missed out and didn’t get this cash.
Awards like this mean other money can be spent elsewhere, so this is a positive for the whole district.
So for example other cash, such the £3.4 million we have received in Bassetlaw from the U.K. Shared Prosperity Fund can be spent in other areas, such as Retford, Harworth/Bircotes or our many villages.
