Dumfries to receive £20 million in Levelling Up funding

Dumfries is to receive £20 million in 'Levelling Up' funding over the next decade, the government has announced.

It is one of seven areas across Scotland to be given a share of a total of £1.1 billion pot for towns across the UK, with the funding being targeted at reviving high streets and tackling anti-social behaviour.

Under the plans, a Town Board would be created to bring together local authorities, employers and community leaders to create a long term plan for he area which would then be put to local people for consultation.

The Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the announcement would support areas which have been 'taken for granted'.

He said: “Towns are the place most of us call home and where most of us go to work. But politicians have always taken towns for granted and focused on cities.  

“The result is the half-empty high streets, run-down shopping centres and anti-social behaviour that undermine many towns’ prosperity and hold back people’s opportunity – and without a new approach, these problems will only get worse.  

“That changes today. Our Long-Term Plan for Towns puts funding in the hands of local people themselves to invest in line with their priorities, over the long-term. That is how we level up.” 

The government says a new ‘Towns Taskforce' will also be created within the Department for Levelling Up and will report directly to the Prime Minister and Levelling Up Secretary, with a focus on helping town boards to develop their plans.

Councillor Gail Macgregor, Leader of Dumfries and Galloway Council, said: “This funding will make a massive contribution to improving the long-term prospects for Dumfries – and secure its rich history and culture for generations to come. “The Council has been working with local community organisations, businesses and the third sector for some time in an effort to help support their ambitious plans for the social and economic recovery of Dumfries town centre. 

“We all recognise the impact the closure of shops has had on the local high street, and we are confident that there is a bright future for Dumfries.

“I look forward to working with community leaders, businesses and local people to maximise the impact and opportunity this investment will have.”      

In response to the announcement, Labour MP Angela Rayner MP, Shadow Levelling Up secretary said: “It takes a special kind of arrogance for a Prime Minister caught on tape boasting that he had swiped money from ‘deprived urban areas’ to now expect local people to be grateful for a promise to hand a tiny fraction of it back.

 “Levelling Up announcements from this government amount to barely more than shiny headlines, chaos and delays.  

 “While the Tories force communities to go cap in hand to Whitehall begging for their own money back, the next Labour Government will spread power, wealth and opportunity to all parts of our country. We will grow our economy by harnessing the talents, ambition and skills of all British people, and in turn, provide sustainable, long-term funding for councils, and certainty for business to invest. Labour will give these towns their future back.”  

Meanwhile, the SNP Levelling Up, Housing & Communities spokesperson, Anum Qaisar MP said: “After over a decade of being overlooked by the Westminster Conservative establishment, this promise of additional funding comes too little too late for many Scottish households. These are people who have borne the brunt of Tory cuts and austerity on their communities - all exacerbated by the cost of living crisis and continual economic incompetence from the UK Government. 

“Sunak’s tactics here are as transparent as they are insulting. If the Tories were serious about these commitments, they would have consulted with the Scottish Government in the normal manner via the Barnett Formula. This would have ensured that the needs of Scotland’s communities align with Scotland’s economic priorities. Yet Westminster continues to dictate our local affairs with relentless power grabs that undermine both our parliament and our people."

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