Call for Ilfracombe to get ‘life changing’ funding as bid for ‘Levelling Up’ cash rejected

Another way to get funding for Ilfracombe is to be sought, after the government failed to throw a lifeline to the town in the latest round of levelling up cash.

North Devon councillors are disappointed at being denied the funding. Torbay and Plymouth are the only areas in Devon to be included in the third round of the fund, with projects being drawn from previous unsuccessful bids. They will both get in the region of £20million.

At this week’s full council meeting of North Devon Council, Councillor Malcolm Prowse said: “If we cannot get levelling up for Ilfracombe, we need to find another way. We have the lowest life expectancy in Devon. It’s not about having a shiny thing that we can put a ribbon on, we need something that makes a real life change.

“It’s about time we were way up on the agenda. The issues in Ilfracombe go way beyond our resources as a council.”

Cllr Prowse called for a county-level meeting with health professionals where pots of funding could be identified.

Following the levelling up announcement, North Devon MP Selaine Saxby said the proposal for Ilfracombe ‘unfortunately did not tick the right boxes’ to progress far enough to be considered by ministers.

She said the fund had an emphasis on transport and that was not the focus of North Devon Council’s bid, or what Ilfracombe really needed.

Ms Saxby believes the town requires affordable housing, urban regeneration and reimagined public spaces and derelict buildings.

“The bidding process is particularly difficult on small district councils like ours and whilst disappointed with the announcement, it is not a surprise, and I am pleased to see that we are moving towards a more allocation based approached rather than a competitive bidding model,” she said.

North Devon Council chief executive Ken Miles said the bid that had gone into government was for £24million and the council would be pushing for an ‘exceptional fund’ for Ilfracombe.

He said the district council was low priority for the government.

The bid was seeking to create more accommodation for key workers, enable health projects, public realm work (such as revamping areas of the town) and boost the private sector rental market.