£2m set aside for town centre already spent

A £2m fund set aside to improve Grantham town centre has already been spent, council bosses have said.

A meeting of Lincolnshire County Council's (LCC) growth scrutiny committee heard the funds had been swallowed up by other projects.

The money was part of a wider £20m government package for Lincolnshire, with the money earmarked for South Kesteven District Council (SKDC) to revitalise Grantham town centre and make it more accessible for pedestrians.

The county council's executive approved the scheme in February 2024 but, at a meeting on Tuesday, councillors were told the funding was "proposed to be withdrawn" from the budget for 2026/27.

Justin Brown, LCC assistant director for growth, told the meeting money spent on Dysart Road, Alma Park and the B1174 meant the agreement with the government had been "reached" and the money for Grantham all spent.

However, Councillor Ashley Baxter, leader of SKDC, criticised the decision for the scheme not to be included in the county council's budget proposals.

"It was a clear understanding of everyone involved that the money for the Grantham high street works would be put to one side until the end of the southern relief road because we didn't want to dig up Grantham town centre again.

"That money should have been kept somewhere safe.

"It appears to me that the money has been taken away from the people of Grantham in some kind of switch-around that means that Grantham will not get what it was promised as part of the devolution deal," he added.

Other councillors also voiced their disappointment at the decision, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Councillor Liam Kelly said the authority was trying to ensure it was providing value for money for taxpayers.

"We need to ensure that we do get best value for money and we are not held to the decision-making processes of the previous administration," he said.

"We carve our own way going forward to ensure that we do the best we can for the council and for the council tax payers.

"However, be rest assured that this is part of that overall process and what you say in here will be taken into account," he added.

Reform UK took control of the county council following local elections in May last year.

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