Decision on leisure facility fund for Knottingley is delayed again

Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford MP Yvette Cooper has criticised the Government for postponing its announcement after previous setback on its levelling-up fund.

A bid for Knottingley was submitted in July after Ms Cooper asked Wakefield Council to both draw up the plans and to ensure they included proposals to rebuild leisure facilities in the town.

An answer was first expected by the end of October, followed by the end of 2022.

Ms Cooper said: “After everything Knottingley has had to put up with from coalition and Conservative government austerity cuts, these further delays are chaotic and unfair.

"Ministers are in disarray and it’s not fair that Knottingley is paying the price.”

This delay comes off the back of a series of delays and accusations of unfairness in the levelling up process.

In August the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, was recorded at a Conservative Party members event saying he had moved money away from deprived areas into wealthier parts of the country

The Towns Fund in 2020, which predated levelling up, and which has resulted in £24m investment for Castleford, was criticised after it ignored many towns – including Knottingley – with high levels of deprivation and in high need of investment in favour of more affluent areas.

In late October, Mr Sunak said that successful second-round bids would be announced “by the end of the year” and announcements were expected in December.

Local authorities have now been told the successful bids won’t be announced until sometime this month.

Councils originally had to apply to be considered for the £4.8bn fund in early July 6, with decisions expected in October.

MPs can only support one levelling up bid in their constituency and Ms Cooper’s support was a key condition on the Knottingley bid being submitted in July.

She also asked Wakefield Council to draw up the bid specifically for Knottingley and said that indoor and outdoor sports and leisure facilities for Knottingley town centre needed to be included as a condition of her support.

Wakefield Council’s bid includes improvements to the Hill Top shopping area, improvements to connectivity around the train station and Knottingley’s beautiful waterways and new indoor and outdoor leisure facilities.