Dear Neighbour,
Re: Labour's £15m Bolsover Betrayal
I am writing to you today to share some disappointing news. The Labour-run Bolsover District Council has submitted its final investment plan for the £15 million I secured for Bolsover town centre at the 2023 Autumn Statement. In doing so they confirmed my worst fears – this money is no longer going to be primarily spent in Bolsover town.
You will no doubt remember the headlines when the Government first announced this funding - even on Bolsover District Council’s own website (you might note they have conveniently deleted this page).
Unfortunately, the allocation of this £15 million is tied to a bureaucratic technicality where it is known as 'place-based funding'. This enables the Council to decide where it is spent despite it having been fought for, and awarded for, the regeneration of Bolsover town centre. Regrettably, the Council has chosen to exploit this loophole to the fullest extent, opting to distribute the funds thinly across eight different places, conveniently represented by Labour Councillors. This decision not only massively dilutes the impact of the money but uses it to fund projects that have never been mentioned before in the entirety of my time as your Member of Parliament.
The current plans are incoherent, fail to meet the Government’s guidance for this fund, will not have the desired impact of levelling-up our town, and have been carefully curated for party-political purposes. A condition of the funds being released to the council is that their plans have the full support of their Member of Parliament and, at this time, I will not support them.
I was very surprised when the local Labour Party decided to make securing the £15 million their own key campaigning pledge because this money had already been secured by me. But now it makes sense – they want to betray the town with the full knowledge of why it was secured in the first place and make me reject this money so I can be portrayed as the bad guy. Why would I want to block money that I secured in the first place?
In an ideal world, I would have £15m for each of the communities I represent. But I don’t, and I worked in good faith with the Council to put Bolsover first so that we could deliver for this community, improve our visitor economy, and bring jobs to Bolsover. In doing so we will boost tourism and bring more investment into our region, meaning we would have greater funding for long-term regeneration across the entire district.
I realise it’s an election year and we should expect the Labour Party to pull stunts like this but that doesn’t take away from the genuine sense of betrayal and sadness I feel over this decision. From the outset I have been very clear about why this money was secured and what it was secured for – even Bolsover District Council agreed that it was to transform Bolsover town centre. Now they are playing political games and trying to make me look like a liar for standing up for what is right. I can’t accept that.
That’s why today I am asking Bolsover residents to do three things:
I have launched a petition calling for Bolsover District Council to re-think their plans and instead put together a list of projects that actually focus on Bolsover town centre. I will be sending this petition to Leader of the Council Cllr Steve Fritchley and Cllrs Donna Hales, Ashley Taylor, Anne Clarke, Rowan Clarke, Cathy Jeffery and the fantastic Carol Wood. I am asking all Bolsover residents who want to see the £15 million used to regenerate the town – as was originally intended - to sign this petition and ask your neighbours to sign it too. You can find the petition online at: www.mark-fletcher.org.uk/labours-bolsover-betrayal or contact me for a paper copy.
Please call, email and write to your District Councillor asking them to spend the £15 million in Bolsover Town Centre. You can contact your Councillor using the details below;
Bolsover North & Shuttlewood
Donna Hales [email protected]
Ashley Taylor [email protected]
Bolsover East
Anne Clarke [email protected]
Rowan Clarke [email protected]
Bolsover South
Cathy Jeffery [email protected]
Carol Wood [email protected]
You can speak to your Councillor by calling the Council’s enquiry line and asking to speak to them. The number to do this is 01246 242424.
I have posted two videos to my Facebook page in which I outline the full history of their failed Levelling Up Fund bid and the Council’s decision to betray Bolsover. Residents deserve to know the truth about why they are no longer going to receive the funding they were promised. Please share this video with your friends and family.
I know some residents will not like me because I’m a Tory, or just because I’m a politician, but I can put my hand on my heart and say I would never play political games with funding that I know means so much to residents. But the same doesn’t apply to the local Labour Party – they would rather I lose than Bolsover win. Frankly, I think that is shameful.
We have a final chance to fix this and I will do everything I possibly can to make that happen. With your support, we can make Cllr Fritchley change his mind and ensure this funding is used as it was intended – transforming Bolsover town centre.
Yours sincerely,
Mark Fletcher MP
Sign the petition and add your name now: https://www.mark-fletcher.org.uk/labours-bolsover-betrayal
