By Jamie Waller, Local Democracy Reporter
The £20m Levelling Up scheme for Ollerton and Clipstone could soon be put on hold as the Government hasn’t yet handed over any of the funding.
Newark and Sherwood District Council says it’s unable to advance until the delay is resolved.
The funding was awarded in November 2023 as part of the third round of Government’s Levelling Up scheme, with plans to regenerate Ollerton town centre with a cinema, better shops and eating areas.
Eight months on, the council says it hasn’t received a penny.
A Cabinet meeting on Tuesday (July 24) agreed to write to the The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government and suspend work once the current design phase is finished, pending money arriving.
It is also asking for the spending deadline of March 2026 to be pushed back by 12 months, saying this timeline would be very difficult given the delays.
The letter will ask for the department to either release the £820,000 advance funding or sign the legal documents giving the council immediate access to the money.
It says this needs to happen before the end of July to avoid delays.
Matt Lamb, Director of Planning and Growth, told the meeting: “We had great fanfare with the Ministerial visit in Ollerton [when the funding was announced] but I sit here today not having a penny of the £20m.
“It hasn’t stopped us progressing at pace, but there is a danger it will stop us moving forward.
“The recommendations still allow new Government to release the money by the end of this month, which is less than 10 days away.
“We continue to lobby and have conversations with Government to achieve that.
“The team are waiting, we are ready to go and clock is ticking. There are consequences if we don’t get it by the end of July.”
The Levelling Up bid also funded highly energy-efficient units in Clipstone which would be suitable for high-tech enterprises.
Ollerton Councillor Lee Brazier (Lab) said: “I lobbied the new MP for Sherwood Forest [Labour’s Michelle Welsh] about this in the early hours of July 5 – she had been elected for about three minutes at that point.
“I hope we get news from the government before the letter is written.
“We are passionate about the Levelling Up in Ollerton.”
Council leader and Clipstone Councillor Paul Peacock described the funding as “great news for the economy” when it was announced in November.
“The goal is to turn Ollerton into a destination people want to visit and increase footfall, as well as generating more investment,” he said.
“We’re grateful the money has come our way, but it’s long overdue. Ollerton and Clipstone have been neglected, as have lots of other former mining communities in the area.”
The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government says it understands councils’ desire for clarification and will provide details “in due course”.
