Harrogate MP confident funding can still be found after Government rejects £20m levelling up bid for Convention Centre

A total of 111 areas across the United Kingdom have been awarded money from the second round of the government's Levelling Up Fund.

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities rewarded six schemes to Yorkshire and the Humber – but there was nothing awarded to the Harrogate Convention Centre or anywhere else in the district.

Harrogate Borough Council had hoped they were in a strong position to get the funding after allowing the Convention Centre to be used as a Covid Nightingale Hospital throughout the pandemic.

The venue has been described as in “critical need” of an upgrade by the council which previously said that without investment, its maintenance costs could reach £19 million over the next two decades.

Andrew Jones, Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, said: “Naturally I wanted the Convention Centre bid to be successful and so this is not the news for which I had hoped.

"My job now is to work with the Convention Centre on securing alternative sources of funding for its redevelopment programme and helping prepare bids for that funding.

Here are 22 dogs that are currently looking for their forever home at the RSPCA York, Harrogate and District branch

"There is going to be a further levelling up fund allocation in due course and there may also be the opportunity to bid into funds which the new York and North Yorkshire mayor will put in place.

"So whilst this isn’t the outcome I wanted I am optimistic that we will secure the necessary funding in due course.”

Councillor Richard Cooper, leader of Harrogate Borough Council, added: "While disappointed that we were not successful in our bid I look forward to exploring with the minister the detailed reasons why that is the case.

"The decision is slightly surprising since the government rejected the inclusion of funding for the Harrogate Convention Centre redevelopment in the devolution agreement with North Yorkshire County Council.

"This was done on the basis that we could bid to the levelling up fund, a bid which they have now also rejected.

"But if you bid for funding you have to be prepared for the possibility that you will not be successful.

"This was the second round of levelling up funding and there will be a third.

"We aim to be successful in that third round."

Harrogate miss out on bid for millions as Government reject Levelling Up request