Rutland County Council and Melton Borough Council welcomed the Minister for Levelling Up, Jacob Young, on Monday 26 February, as he visited Rutland to discuss the proposals, progress and plans for the £22.9m joint Levelling Up Fund (LUF) projects.
Both councils successfully submitted a joint bid to the Government’s LUF and are already putting in place projects that will help boost the economy of the local towns and improve connectivity. At the heart of the joint LUF bid is revitalising rural economies and market towns.
The projects within Rutland will include the development of a new 100m2 facility at Oakham Enterprise Park, which will provide clinical, development and training medical space. The vision of this project is to help to grow the area’s economic development and provide high level jobs in the area.
A second project is a 500m2 travel anchor Mobi-Hub, focussing on two routes that will enable access to work, learning and services across both Rutland and Melton. The Mobi-Hub will further facilitate significant improvements to public transport and bus connectivity, with two initial funded routes being a catalyst to enable more far-reaching developments within Rutland.
The Council is also using the funding to support the economic regeneration of the area by the introduction of a mobile, digital visitor experience that will enable visitors to view two of the area’s unique heritage treasures. The digitisation of these assets will be a huge boost to Rutland’s tourist industry and will also enable the council to develop the display of all heritage assets to maximise their potential.
Melton Borough Council is using the funding to develop over 2500sqm of flexible food and drink production units, including a support service to help small or upcoming local producers develop and grow in the Rural Capital of Food. In addition, £2m funding was also awarded to Melton College to refurbish the theatre, delivering a multifunctional event space that is more accessible and will attract larger events.
The Minister’s visit included a presentation of these LUF projects at Rutland County Council offices, Catmose House, followed by a tour of Rutland County Museum.
The Minister for Levelling Up Jacob Young said: “Levelling up is about spreading the equality of opportunity everywhere and it’s been fantastic to visit rural communities in Rutland and Melton to see for myself how levelling up investments are helping here.
“Projects like these sits at the heart of our levelling up ambition for the country and they will create long-lasting change and greater opportunities and jobs for people in communities such as these that we care so much about.
“It is also fantastic that some of this funding is being invested in the area’s rich culture and heritage, all of which will boost the local economy by attracting visitors for years to come.”
Leader of Rutland County Council, Cllr Gale Waller, said: “Both Oakham and Melton Mowbray are rural, historic market towns with huge potential for economic growth. We are delighted to welcome the Minister to Rutland to show how this funding is being used and how these five key projects really focus on economic innovation, cultural destinations, health, science and mobility.
“We have already approved the purchase of 3 electric minibuses that will run between Rutland and Melton, it is therefore exciting to have the opportunity to show how the LUF projects are progressing.”
Leader of Melton Borough Council, Cllr Pip Allnatt said: “I am pleased that locally we are working to use taxpayer’s money to implement really worthwhile projects across Melton and Rutland.
“These projects will provide more job opportunities, enhance the quality of life for residents across Melton and Rutland and also provide valuable tourism assets which will attract more visitors to the area. I especially welcome the chance to improve public transport linking Oakham and Melton via our villages providing much needed services to our rural residents.”
