North Yorkshire Council’s hopes of winning £20m from the government for a major refurbishment of Harrogate Convention Centre were dashed yesterday.
Blow for council as £20m funding bid for Harrogate Convention Centre rejected North Yorkshire Council’s hopes of winning £20m from the government to go towards a major refurbishment of Harrogate Convention Centre were dashed today. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities announced the long-anticipated winners of the third round of Levelling Up Fund earlier, with more than £1.1bn awarded to 55 schemes — but Harrogate was not on the list. Unlike the first two rounds, councils were not invited to make formal bids to be chosen for funding. Instead, the government selected the best bids from round two that were not chosen last time. The government scored each bid out of 100 with criteria including deliverability and the characteristics of each place. The news will come as a blow but not necessarily a surprise to North Yorkshire Council. Previously published feedback on the HCC bid described it as “relatively strong” but said it lacked “evidence and rationale” into how the proposals would increase business. The council has still not decided if it will proceed with a £49m refurbishment of the facility which it inherited from the defunct Harrogate Borough Council. A contractor has been appointed to draw up more detailed plans for the redevelopment and a final decision was expected this year. The HCC opened in 1982 with conferences providing a boost to the town’s bars, restaurants and hotels, however, it has struggled to turned a profit. It’s hoped the refurbishment would help the facility compete with other conference venues in the north but it remains unclear how North Yorkshire Council, which is looking to slash £70m from its budget over the next three years, will pay for it. North Yorkshire Council has been approached for comment. By Thomas Barrett, Local Democracy Reporter Read more local stories from Your Harrogate here.
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