High Peak council’s deputy leader has accused the Government of snubbing Glossop after the Derbyshire town missed out on £20m of Levelling Up funding despite criticism from the borough’s MP that the authority’s bid had been flawed.
The Conservative Government’s Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities has released feedback outlining the reasons why officials rejected High Peak Borough Council’s bid for a £20m investment for Glossop from the Government’s Levelling Up Fund.
But Deputy Leader of Labour-controlled High Peak Borough Council, Damien Greenhalgh, and Labour’s parliamentary candidate for High Peak, Jon Pearce, have both voiced their disappointment at the Government’s decision and both feel the High Peak has been overlooked.
Cllr Greenhalgh said: “As a born and bred Glossopian I am deeply disappointed by the Government’s decision to snub Glossop. There are clear questions to be answered over how this funding has been allocated across the country.”
High Peak council’s funding bid was assessed by independent civil servants on a range of criteria, according to High Peak Conservative MP Robert Largan who claimed that the authority scored poorly on the measures used to prioritise funding applications.
But Cllr Greenhalgh said: “The local Conservative MP has failed to deliver on his promises for High Peak. He was happy to try and take the credit when he thought the bid would be successful but is now trying to pass the buck, once again.
“When bids in other areas were rejected in Round Two of the competitive bidding process, other MPs, both Conservative and Labour, worked with their councils and Government ministers to secure the funding this time.
“You only need look at what Andrew Gwynne MP has achieved nearby for Denton.
“Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, who share the same council officers and bid-writing team with High Peak Borough Council, were successful in their £17million bid for Leek.
“The difference? Their Conservative MP was in lockstep with councillors and council officers, making a forceful and successful case to Tory ministers in Westminster.
“I have always been – and always will be – unashamedly ambitious for Glossop and our community’s future. This is a real kick in the teeth for everyone who believes in our town, its heritage and its future. But we will continue to do it ourselves, as we always have.”
However, the office of the High Peak MP stated that Mr Largan met with the council on multiple occasions and consistently ‘chased them’ and claimed he was excluded from key decisions and he did not receive a copy of the council’s full bid until just a few days before the extended final deadline. 0
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