South Yorkshire towns rejected for levelling-up funding to receive £12m

Two South Yorkshire towns that were previously rejected for a government levelling-up grant are to get £12m.

The funding for Dinnington and Wath was announced by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt in his Budget on Wednesday.

A bid was initially rejected in January, despite the then-chancellor Rishi Sunak visiting the area in 2022.

The money will be used to regenerate Dinnington town centre shops and outdoor market, and build a new library and community centre in Wath.

Recently Rotherham Council secured almost £40m from the Levelling Up Fund to help the town centre and develop leisure and tourism attractions across the borough.

The council's Labour leader Chris Read said the surprise announcement was "great news", adding that all three of its bids were successful.

He said the decision by the chancellor was "a welcome change of plan after the recent announcement that the government would not consider it".

"I'm glad that suggestions the bid was somehow faulty have been corrected today, recognising the huge amount of effort and expertise that went into their preparation," he added.

Empty shops in Dinnington will be cleared and investment made in the outdoor market, as well as the creation of a new commercial square.

The library in Wath will be demolished and replaced with a mixed-use building including a library, exhibition space, cafe and commercial units.

Leader of the council's Conservative group Simon Ball said the announcement showed that "when there are plans in place, money is being provided by the government to our region".

"We now need the council to step up to the plate and put in place a vision and plans for all our high streets, so all our communities have opportunity to get substantial funding in the future," he added.

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