Agenda item

To seek Cabinet’s approval to work with Essex County Council in order to submit a bid to the Government’s ‘Levelling Up Fund’ to secure monies towards delivering improvements in Clacton Town Centre that will help to rejuvenate the area and contribute towards achieving key elements of the ‘Love Clacton Vision’ that has been developed with local businesses and other stakeholders over the last few years.

RESOLVED that Cabinet –

a)      authorises the Assistant Director (Strategic Planning and Place), in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Business and Economic Growth, to work with Essex County Council to submit a bid to the Government’s ‘Levelling Up Fund’ in respect of Clacton Town Centre; and

b)      authorises the Assistant Director (Strategic Planning and Place) to utilise funds already set aside within the Council’s budget for Clacton Town Centre projects and associated business case development to joint-fund any necessary further technical work required in support of the Levelling Up Fund bid.

The Cabinet had before it a detailed report of the Business & Economic Growth Portfolio Holder (A.1) which sought its approval for this Council to work with Essex County Council (ECC) to submit a bid to the Government’s ‘Levelling Up’ Fund in order to secure monies towards delivering improvements in Clacton Town Centre that would help to rejuvenate the area, promote a shift towards electric vehicles and contribute towards achieving key elements of the ‘Love Clacton Vision’ that had been developed with local businesses and other stakeholders over the last few years.

Members were aware thatsince 2018, the Council had been working with local businesses and other stakeholders in order to develop the ‘Love Clacton Vision’ for the future of Clacton Town Centre and to identify measures aimed at boosting footfall and economic activity in the face of declining trade, shop closures and increasing problems around public perception. This had formed the basis for the Council’s bid, working in partnership with ECC, to the Government’s ‘Future High Streets Fund’. Unfortunately, that bid had been unsuccessful and the Government had not awarded any funding to Clacton Town Centre, judging that the Council’s proposal would not achieve a sufficient ‘Benefit to Cost Ratio’ (BCR) in respect of value for money.

It was reported that the Government had now launched a new fund, the ‘Levelling Up’ Fund designed specifically to support investment in places where it could make the biggest difference to everyday life, including ex-industrial areas, deprived towns and coastal communities. The Levelling Up Fund would invest in local infrastructure that had a visible impact on people and their communities and bring pride to a local area as it recovered from the economic impacts of COVID-19 – particularly measures aimed at regenerating a town centre, local investment in cultural facilities, upgrading local transport infrastructure and supporting carbon reduction (which reflected the Council’s declaration of a climate emergency and its promotion of a shift towards electric vehicles). 

Cabinet was informed that the ‘Levelling Up’ Fund differed from the previous Future High Streets Fund and its focus would be more on transport investments, regeneration and town centre investment and cultural investment with an expectation that some works would be implemented in the short term and within the remainder of the 2021/22 financial year. Local authorities were allowed to submit one bid per Parliamentary Constituency and the fund would focus investment towards projects that required up to £20million of funding.

It was felt that for Clacton Town Centre, the ‘Levelling Up’ Fund provided the opportunity to bid for money to progress some elements of the Love Clacton Vision and the previous Future High Street Fund proposals. The fund was however limited to three projects per bid so the Council would not be able to simply re-submit the previous Future High Streets Fund proposal without revisiting certain elements of it. For example, there was a stronger emphasis on promoting carbon neutrality and sustainable travel and a lesser emphasis on delivering residential development or large scale transformation. 

The Portfolio Holder’s report therefore sought Cabinet’s authority to again work with colleagues in ECC to draw up and submit a bid for the Levelling Up Fund in respect of Clacton Town Centre that drew on those elements of the previous Future High Streets Fund submission that best met the objectives of the new fund as set out in the supporting prospectus and accompanying guidance.

During the consideration of this item and in response to concerns raised by Group Leaders, the Leader of the Council (Councillor Stock OBE) undertook to write to the Government to urge them to widen the scope of the ‘Levelling Up Fund’ scheme to encompass all sizes of coastal communities that may be suffering from levels of deprivation.

Having considered all of the information and advice contained in the Portfolio Holder’s detailed report:-

It was moved by Councillor Newton, seconded by Councillor P B Honeywoodand:-

RESOLVED that Cabinet –

a)      authorises the Assistant Director (Strategic Planning and Place), in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Business and Economic Growth, to work with Essex County Council to submit a bid to the Government’s ‘Levelling Up Fund’ in respect of Clacton Town Centre; and

b)      authorises the Assistant Director (Strategic Planning and Place) to utilise funds already set aside within the Council’s budget for Clacton Town Centre projects and associated business case development to joint-fund any necessary further technical work required in support of the Levelling Up Fund bid.