Issue - meetings

To consider the reallocation of Town Fund Grant.

Contact:        Andy Raleigh, Town Centre Strategic Lead

RESOLVED -

(1)           That the report in relation to the proposed reallocation of Town Fund Grant be noted.

(2)           That the reallocation of £1,087,318 of unspent Town Deal Grant to support the Dewsbury Market and Town Park Scheme, as set out in Section 2 of the report, be approved.

Andy Raleigh, Strategic Partnership Lead – Town Centres, provided an update to the Board regarding progress on the plan to reallocate Town Deal Grant.

The Board were invited to note the contents of this report and to approve the recommendations to reallocate Town Fund grant to support the Dewsbury Market and Town Park scheme.

The background to the decision was set out; Dewsbury’s Town Investment Plan (TIP) had been submitted in January 2021 following agreement from Cabinet and the Dewsbury Town Deal Board (DTDB). The TIP had been  accepted, and the Council awarded £24.8m to deliver the plan.

To maximise the full grant awarded by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) in line with the programme end point, it was proposed that Town Fund Grant be reallocated from the following Town Deal projects:

·       Building Grant Revival Scheme

·       Creative Cultural Programme

·       Sustainable Transport Modes

At the August 2025 meeting of the Town Board, a funding reallocation of £1,299,081 to the Dewsbury Arcade had been approved. It had been noted that remaining unallocated grant money would be held for use within the Dewsbury Market and Town Park scheme, with the detail of any reallocation being shared at a subsequent Dewsbury Neighbourhood Board.

It was now proposed that the unspent Town Fund Grant be reallocated to support the Dewsbury Market and Town Park scheme which was in procurement and had a forecast spend of £26,161,653, requiring £3,651,627 of additional funding to be added to the original budget of £22,510,026. The increase in scheme cost was due to inflation and project prolongation.

The additional budget would be met by reallocating the unspent Town Deal grant and Council match funding from other projects within the Town Deal Programme. These projects have either been paused or had been completed under budget.

It was recommended that all £1,087,318 of the unspent Town Deal grant be reallocated to the Dewsbury Market and Town Park scheme. The underspend of Council match funding would then be reallocated to meet the shortfall in the Market and Town Park budget in line with financial procedure rules and applied within the Town Deal Programme where required.

It was established during discussion that if the underspend was not reallocated, it may have to be returned. The Board raised examples of other market towns in the region that had refreshed their markets and had varying levels of success. Officers assured the Board that the Markets Team had extensively researched and learned from other projects and that the market would have a transformative impact on Dewsbury Town Centre.

RESOLVED -

(1)           That the report in relation to the proposed reallocation of Town Fund Grant be noted.

(2)           That the reallocation of £1,087,318 of unspent Town Deal Grant to support the Dewsbury Market and Town Park Scheme, as set out in Section 2 of the report, be approved.