Local London receives over £40m from second round of Levelling Up funding

On Thursday 19 January, the Government announced the successful bids in the second round of Levelling Up funding.

Three projects from the Local London sub-region were among over 100 successful bids from England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales awarded a share of £2.1 billion from Round 2 of government’s flagship Levelling Up Fund.

Two boroughs from Local London were among the eight successful bids in the capital.

Cllr Baroness O’Neill of Bexley OBE, Chairman of Local London, welcomed the awards saying “I am delighted for the successful bids that will bring funding to Local London, transforming two of the sub-region’s town centres and making improvements to Leyton station which will enhance connectivity into this part of London for more people. Our sub-region is vibrant and growing fast; this funding will help unlock opportunities for people in our boroughs.”

Double award for Waltham Forest

London Borough of Waltham Forest is set to receive the highest amount of any London borough in this round of funding. The East London borough was awarded approximately £31m in total from the Levelling Up Fund to improve Leyton Station and Walthamstow town centre.

Through a joint bid led by Transport for London (TfL) and the Greater London Authority (GLA) approximately £14m has been granted to make improvements to Leyton Station including step-free access to each platform as well as a new ticket hall, concourse, and gate line.

The Council’s second bid was awarded £17.2m to transform to public spaces around the planned cultural quarter in Walthamstow to make the area more appealing for residents and visitors.

Find out more about the awards made to Waltham Forest.

Bid success for Barking and Dagenham

Local London’s other successful bid was made to London Borough of Barking and Dagenham to make improvements to Dagenham Heathway. The bid submitted by Be First, the council’s regeneration company, was awarded £10.88m to make the borough’s second largest town centre fit for the 21st Century.

Find out more about Barking and Dagenham’s successful bid.

Successful bids in our neighbouring growth regions

Further successful bids in the two growth corridors that intersect the Local London sub-region will support a number of cultural and transport projects.

More than £82m awarded to the Innovation Corridor

 The UK Innovation Corridor is set to receive over £82m for cultural projects in Harlow and Waltham Cross, and improvements for Peterborough station, including:

• Over £14m to Borough of Broxbourne Council for new skatepark, outdoor gym, sports pavilion and running track in Waltham Cross to boost the health and wellbeing of local people.
• Over £47m to Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority to build a new entrance and footbridge for Peterborough train station.
• Almost £20m to Harlow District Council to create a new music and arts venue, including music school and space for the creative industries.

Over £103m for the Thames Estuary

 The Thames Estuary will receive over £103m for projects in Canterbury, Dover and Sheerness, including:

• £19.9m to Canterbury City Council to reopen Canterbury Castle, improve historic sites, build better green spaces and create new walking and cycling routes.
• £18.1m to Dover District Council to build a new campus on brownfield land that will offer training opportunities in creative and digital industries creating new job opportunities in the region.
• £45m to Kent County Council to improve the flow of traffic from the UK to the EU, with more border control points and a new exit route to reduce congestion on local roads.
• £20m to Swale Borough Council to transform Sheerness’s Beachfields seafront and to expand the further education college and make space for new offices and studios for local small businesses.

To date £3.8billion has been allocated from the UK government’s flagship £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund.

The government has confirmed there will be a further round of the Levelling Up Fund, details have yet to be announced.

Discover more about Levelling Up funding.