Leeds City Council bids for over £120m worth of levelling up funding

The bids have been submitted to the round two Levelling Up Fund and the council are hoping to deliver “transformational change” for Leeds communities if they are successful.

£120.8m is the total value of the six bids and the council have outlined their intention to use the money to invest in parks, transport infrastructure, high streets and local economies across all six of the Leeds parliamentary constituencies.

Councillor James Lewis, leader of Leeds City Council, said: “We have put together six ambitious bids and they represent a real opportunity to build on the great work taking place across Leeds to regenerate our local communities, delivering 21st Century infrastructure and create meaningful jobs.

“The scale and ambition of the bids also reflect the incredible amount of work put into their development and I must extend a sincere thank you to teams from Asset Management and Regeneration, Highways and Transportation, and Parks and Countryside along with their partners and consultants.”

The plans could inject the city with £186m worth of investment, which includes an £8.7m match funding contribution from the council and £56.3m from partners and grants.

Councillor Helen Hayden, executive member for infrastructure and climate ,said: “The six bids that we have submitted to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, offer a unique opportunity for the department to deliver meaningful transformation, driving economic growth forward and tackling health and wellbeing inequalities.

“As a council we are committed to working with the government on all six projects to help transform local areas and I believe all six projects will if successful will make a real difference to residents across Leeds”

Plans have been outlined for the investment in each Leeds constituency and in Leeds Central, the focus will be on transformative change in Holbeck that will “renew essential local infrastructure, transform the local community centre, deliver high quality public realm and green space enhancements, and deliver green retrofit property repairs”.

In Elmet and Rothwell, the plan is to deliver a series of linked habits in a coherent connected corridor activating the River Aire, which includes the creation of a new visitor welcome building at the RSPB St Aidan’s nature reserve.

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In the Leeds West constituency, there will be a focus on the delivery of quality greenspace enhancement and a “revitalised” high street in Armley which prioritises public transport and pedestrians with new quality public realm improvements.

Investment in transport infrastructure to accelerate the delivery and unlock the benefits of the employment hub sit is planned for North West Leeds, meanwhile it is hoped there will be a redevelopment of Fearnville Leisure Centre into a wellbeing centre in Leeds East.

In North East Leeds, there will be a focus on sustainable transport options with the development of a new park and ride site and the provision of high-quality segregated walking, cycling and dedicated bus infrastructure along one of the main corridors if the bid is successful.

Bids will be evaluated by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and the fate of the outcomes of the bids are expected to be announced alongside the Autumn statement.