As many of you have already read the Levelling-Up Fund bid by Bolsover District Council for the regeneration of Bolsover Town centre was, unfortunately, unsuccessful. I understand the bid may not have fully met the criteria although I look forward to reviewing DHLUC's feedback in coming weeks. I am extremely passionate about regenerating our town centres and think Bolsover has such great potential, so naturally I am absolutely gutted by the announcement! But rather than dwell on the setback, Round 3 of the Fund is due to open this year and I will be working with the Council to submit another bid.
I think there are ways we can improve the bid, which I will discuss further with officers, and I will keep you all updated on our progress.
In the meantime, I will continue to work hard everyday to deliver across the constituency. Whether thats securing securing post-16 education for our young people, improving public transport with more funding for buses and restoring lost rail connections, upgrading infrastructure projects like Junction 28 and 29, or funding for local services like our three local hospitals - including the £26 million for the new Urgent and Emergency Care Department at Chesterfield Royal Hospital and a new Community Diagnostic Centre at Kings Mill Hospital.
I have also worked with regional MPs to deliver jobs and investment to the region like the East Midlands Freeport, Fusion Energy Plant, and Small Modular Reactors at Rolls Royce.