Kempston misses out on 'levelling up' cash from Government for the second time

The Government announced the second round of allocations from the £2bn ‘Levelling Up’ fund today – and Kempston lost out yet again.

This is the second time that Bedford Borough Council’s hopes get funding to regenerate the area have been dashed.

In June 2021, the council put forward a bid for £15m in the first round of ‘Levelling Up’.

It had hoped to use the cash to improve the walking and cycling infrastructure of the town, including the reconstruction of two river bridges and structural maintenance of local roads.

The council also hoped to improve the area around the Saxon Centre and create an ‘event space’ at the plaza, along with regenerating key sites to encourage new businesses and public services.

But the bid was unsuccessful – and it has now been revealed that a second, refined bid has once again failed to attract any funding from the pot.

A Bedford Borough Council spokesperson said: “We are incredibly disappointed at the announcement that, for the second time, we will not be receiving Levelling Up Funding to invest in Central Kempston.

“We took on board all of the feedback that we were given when our original bid was turned down and have not been told why we have still been unsuccessful. We remain committed to investing in all areas of the Borough to make them great places to live, work and stay, and will be pressing for an explanation of this decision from the government. We will then review our next steps and consider the option to reapply for a future round of the fund.”

Councillor Carl Meader, Borough & Town Councillor for Kempston South said: “Councils need a substantial boost to their funding from Central Government, not these random and erratic schemes. The Revenue Support Grant from Central Government needs to increase back to a realistic level, allocated fairly across all local authorities, so that decisions can be made locally about which projects receive funding.”

Kay Burley, Leader of Kempston Town Council and Borough Councillor for Kempston Central & East added: “We’ll keep fighting for any funds available to enhance and improve our town. This system of funding always means some areas lose out, and I am sorry to see Kempston ignored by Conservative Central Government yet again.”

Mohammad Yasin, MP for Bedford and Kempston, also expressed his disappointment.

He said: “If it was judged on need, we have a clear case for Government investment but once again, the South-East are the big winners and once again, those areas most in need have lost out to wealthier areas. That’s not raising standards fairly.

“Hard-pressed councils like Bedford Borough have to spend precious time and money submitting applications, which are then rejected for no good reason. Bedfordshire got nothing out of the process this time.”

He added: “My constituents pay their taxes too so it’s not right they get nothing. So, I will continue to work with Kempston councillors to fight to invest in and improve our great town to get the much-needed services Kempston needs including the health

hub.”