A multi-million pound revamp of The Strand in Bootle could take a big step forward following a surprise announcement from the Government.
Earlier this year Sefton Council’s Levelling Up Fund bid focusing on the regeneration of the Strand, Bootle high street and parts of Crosby was knocked back. The council also had no luck when bidding for essential investment in the first round of the fund - announced in October 2021.
The Levelling Up Fund is a £5bn pot set up to invest in previously overlooked areas of the UK in need of support with infrastructural and development projects, with the cash reserve a key part of the government’s Levelling Up agenda which helped deliver the Conservative’s landslide victory in 2019. Local authorities are able to bid for investment with government officials deciding where the money will be allocated.
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Despite being overlooked on two separate occasions, it has now been announced that Sefton Council will be awarded £20 million to push ahead with its Bootle plans. The surprise announcement came as part of yesterday’s budget, with Chancellor Jeremy Hunt awarding £279 million funding to 19 'near-miss' projects that had previously missed out - including Bootle.
The bidding process has previously left a sour taste for politicians in the local area, with Sefton Council Leader, Cllr Ian Maher, calling the rejection in January “another slap in the face”. The disappointment was compounded by the amount Sefton Council had previously spent on initially unsuccessful bids, with ECHO Freedom of Information requests revealing the bids had cost around £120,000 to prepare in the hope of securing Government backing.
Following the last minute award, Cllr Maher said he is now “delighted with the outcome” which he believes reflects the quality of the original bid. The project had previously been backed by the City Region Combined Authority which will now add a further £2 million to carry out pre-development work and bring forward a full business case.
Leader of Sefton Council, Cllr Ian Maher, said: “Of course, we were naturally disappointed about the outcome of our bids for Levelling Up funding in both Bootle and Crosby. However, we are delighted to have received notification of the intent to award Sefton Council £20m of capital funding for the first phase of the repurposing of the Strand Shopping Centre in Bootle town centre.
“This award reflects the quality of the Levelling Up funding bid submissions we made to Government, the vision we developed for the future of the town centre, and the strength and breadth of consultation and engagement with stakeholders and communities across the town. It also reflects the need in Bootle for such funding, given the continued economic challenges the town faces, that have only been exacerbated by the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis in recent years.”
Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said: “Devolution has given regions like ours the opportunity to chart our own course and invest in projects that will make a genuine difference to people’s lives. Despite some setbacks and disappointing decisions via the Levelling Up Fund, today’s announcement is a big step in the right direction and it is fantastic to see that Sefton’s ambitions for the future of Bootle Town Centre are finally being realised.
“This is the difference devolution makes – we are helping to open doors to projects that are rejuvenating parts of our communities which have been starved of funding for decades. I cannot wait to see what the future has in store for Bootle Town Centre.”
Speaking about the projects more widely, the treasury said: "Recognising the importance of boosting pride in place, this package invests specifically in high-quality regeneration projects that were originally submitted for the Levelling Up Fund as these projects have already been robustly assessed and are able to commence delivery this year.”
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