Erewash gets a surprise £5m from Government

EREWASH is to be given £5million from the Government for cultural projects – but it doesn’t have anything prepared to spend it on.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced on Wednesday as part of the national budget that Erewash Borough Council would be given £5m from the Levelling Up Fund, purely for culture projects.

But this was the first anyone at the borough council had heard of the windfall.

The authority’s leader, Councillor James Dawson, said he received a letter in his email inbox from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) a minute after the funding was announced.

At a council budget setting meeting, in which the £5m does not feature among the next year’s spending plans due to the authority having had no prior notice, Councillor Dawson made clear there are no current plans for the surprise cash.

This includes potential upgrades to the Erewash Museum, in Ilkeston, the borough’s main cultural hub and the only one owned by the council.

Councillor Dawson said the £5m can only be used on building projects and not to plug any funding gaps. He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “We have a letter from DLUHC saying they will be in contact but so far we have no information, no timescale, no criteria and that they will be in touch in April.”

Asked about funding Erewash Museum, he said: “When DLUHC approach us we will have a better idea of what projects we can put forward. We don’t know if the projects need to be new or existing and we won’t know until our officers are approached.”

The letter to Erewash, from Levelling Up Minister Jacob Young, says: “Erewash Borough Council has provisionally been awarded up to £5m of capital funding as part of the Spring Budget to support local culture projects in your area.

“This provisional funding recognises the crucial role culture can play in levelling up and supporting pride in place. I look forward to working closely with you over the coming months.”

The council will be invited to submit an investment plan for the £5m, the letter details.

In a formal statement issued by the council, Councillor Dawson said: “This is something that is sorely needed and we will be actively following up to find out more.”