The Government has announced the next round of projects to receive Levelling-up funding.
Shockingly, Sheffield has been given nothing, with wealthy areas in the South-East of England instead the main beneficiaries.
Council Deputy Leader Julie Grocutt, Labour councillor for Stocksbridge and Upper Don:
“I’m immensely disappointed that government have once again neglected Sheffield.
“Council officers devised ambitious, but deliverable, schemes for Parkwood Springs and Heeley. We worked very closely with Heeley Development Trust to shape their plans to improve community facilities for the benefit of residents and I know this is a big blow to all of these involved.
“But this isn’t over – we’ll look again at what is possible and we remain committed to our plans for Parkwood Springs and to continued support for Heeley Development Trust’s plans for their area.
“The government’s whole levelling-up process is a sham. It is a system of short-term, competitive pots of money that puts communities against each other, with some distant civil servant in Westminster deciding who’s worthy.
“Instead of this ludicrous process, councils up-and-down the country should be empowered to deliver the schemes they know they need.
“Anyone in Sheffield will tell you that the bus service isn’t fit for purpose. This is why our Region’s Mayor, Oliver Coppard, demanded more for our bus network, but again government have turned their back on our region and left us with a broken transport system.
“This is also on top of the council having to endure huge cuts for thirteen years. The annual grant the council receives from government is now £288m less in real terms than in 2010 and a staggering £2.1billion has been lost, in real terms, over the same period. This is around £9,000 per household.
“Every year we have to deliver more with less, but Labour are always on your side, and we are fighting for extra investment every day, whilst focusing on getting the most out of every penny we spend.
“We have real ambition for the city and all of our neighbourhoods, we just need government to match this ambition. Sadly today’s announcement shows they’ve given up on the North”