Devon is ‘levelled up’ but Plymouth and Torbay are overlooked

Okehampton’s Member of Parliament and local councillors are celebrating the announcement that the Government has committed £13.5 million towards a second rail station in Okehampton. It is one of 111 projects across the UK that have been awarded a share of £2.1 billion from Round 2 of the Government’s flagship Levelling Up Fund. The cash will deliver the ‘West Devon Transport Hub’, complete with high quality cycle facilities and EV charging points on-site to better connect communities and promote active travel.

The Conservative Government established the £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund to provide the infrastructure that improves everyday life for individuals throughout the UK, supporting the projects of local authorities in transport, culture and heritage and town centre and high street regeneration.

The bid for funding was led by West Devon Borough Council with Central Devon MP Mel Stride pressing Government ministers hard during the past year to back the scheme. The second station will build on the enormous success of The Dartmoor Line, which launched in November 2021, giving thousands of residents in and around Okehampton access to rail services for the first time in decades.

Mr Stride, recently appointed as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, said: “This announcement shows the Government remains fully committed to its levelling up mission to deliver better public services and economic growth right across the country. I will be in Okehampton tomorrow meeting with local councillors to discuss the next steps and to celebrate this wonderful news.”

However, not all our MPs are pleased with the Government’s choices. Reacting to Plymouth missing out on the Government's second round of levelling up funding,;Luke Pollard, MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, said: “Rishi Sunak turning down our levelling up bid is a punch to the gut for Plymouth, Millbay and Stonehouse’s bold plans for job creation.

‘Stonehouse is in the bottom 0.2% in the entire country for some economic measures. When 99.8% of communities are richer, it’s hard to believe we have been passed over to be levelled up. The PM’s own wealthy constituency got £19 million, but Plymouth’s bid was rejected.

‘As a city we do not get our fair share of funding from the Government, but this bid was a chance to get back a small amount of what has been taken from Plymouth in Tory cuts since 2010. I’ll be pressing Ministers to explain why we were rejected."

Torbay also failed to make the cut. Torbay Council resubmitted its bid for the Levelling Up Fund last year after it failed to be awarded funding after its first application in 2021. The bid, named Fish and Chips, focuses on Brixham’s fishing and photonics sectors. Both are extremely valuable to the local economy and offer long term sustainable jobs in the coastal community.

Under the proposals, Brixham’s harbour and historic fish market would be expanded to increase landing capacity and ensure it continues to achieve record sales year-on-year, while new specialist facilities would be delivered at Torbay Business Park to enable the growth of innovative electronics and photonics businesses.

Once again, Torbay will be able to use feedback from the failed bid, to improve the resubmission and ensure they are successful in securing funding to support the fishing sector and local high-tech industries.

MP for Totnes and South Devon, Anthony Mangnall, said: “It is disappointing to learn that Torbay has not been successful in this second round of the Levelling Up Fund. However, there will be a third round and we will ensure that a strong updated bid is put forward that represents the very best of Brixham, the fishing sector and our rising photonics industry.

‘South Devon’s economy has seen high levels of investment, another record-breaking year for Brixham Fish Market and greater opportunities for the photonics sector. This geographical area and these sectors offer huge potential to create new jobs and boost the local economy.

‘Together with Torbay Council, I will continue to support this unique and special area.”

Torridge, however, was another area where the bid for funding was successful. The MP for Torridge and West Devon, The Rt Hon Sir Geoffrey Cox KC, has expressed his delight that the Torridge District Council bid, which he sponsored to the Government’s Levelling Up Fund, has been successful, representing an approximately £15 million investment in Torridge.

The bid, the largest ever submitted by the Torridge District Council, was officially sponsored by the MP, and will fund the creation of an Appledore Clean Maritime Innovation Centre on a site adjacent to Appledore Shipyard, placing it at the heart of national research and development in clean maritime technology. The project will see an important partnership with the Universities of Plymouth and Exeter, which will establish sites there, in addition to providing offices, workshops and a wet lab and testing facility to help local and new maritime technology businesses grow.

Sir Geoffrey said: “I was pleased to sponsor this bid, which has huge potential to create economic and employment opportunity and further investment in our area and to take it up in discussions with my ministerial colleagues was very well worth supporting. This was the big prize and I am delighted the Government recognised Torridge as a priority area for investment and Appledore as a key site for growth and regeneration.

‘With the revival of Appledore Shipyard next door, which has received the backing of the Government to construct a series of naval ships once more and this new research and development centre, Torridge is once again at the heart of maritime development in the UK. It is essential that Torridge District Council capitalises on this project to promote wider growth in our local economy.”

The Leader of the Conservative Group on Torridge Council, Simon Newton, who maintained close collaboration with the MP in pushing for the bid, said: “This significant investment in Torridge District by the Conservative Government lays the foundation for the Northam and Appledore area to become a world-class centre for maritime innovation and if the Council pursues the right policies, in time we can expect to welcome further investment from related businesses attracted to the area by this pioneering research facility.

‘These positive developments prove how we can achieve results if the different levels of Government, local and national, work together. We must now drive forward these unprecedented opportunities with a clear vision for the improvement of Torridge.”