Yesterday, Thursday 19 January 2023, a Government Minister visited Rutland County Museum to discuss the £23 million awarded to Rutland and Melton in yesterday's Levelling Up announcement.

Lee Rowley, the Minister for Local Government of United Kingdom, visited Rutland County Museum yesterday to discuss the nation-wide Levelling Up announcements and how they will impact the local community.

Rutland County Council and Melton Borough Council submitted a joint bid to the Government's Levelling Up Fund round 2 in August 2022. The joint bid sought £23 million investment from the Government to deliver upgrades along three key themes.

These themes are as follows:

1. Food Innovation: development of the Stockyard site to provide a multifunctional events space and associated infrastructure, food and drinks production units and spaces where visitors can enjoy our local produce
2. Health innovation: development of a new digital innovation facility anchored around health at the Oakham Hospital Site
3. Sustainable Travel: development of an e-enabled, community directed approach to demand focus travel, based on a Mobi-Hub, headquartered at the Oakham Hospital Site but providing links across the whole geography harnessing the economic potential of over 100,000 people

This funding is part of more than 100 projects across the UK that have been awarded a share of £2.1 billion from round 2 of the Government's flagship Levelling Up Fund.

Following this successful bid, Minister Lee Rowley attended a press event at Rutland County Museum to discuss his enthusiasm for this fund, and why Rutland and Melton have seen success in this second round of funding.

Lee Rowley said: "I know that a part of what we were looking for is bids that can be transformative and could improve the area [...] and this is going to be so important for this area.

"What the Levelling Up Fund is about, is saying to local areas: What are the big things that can be done over the next 5, 10, 15, even 20 years - what real changes can be made in the local area? What we are trying to to is support local areas through difficult times, which we accept that there are, and get through to the other side."

Lee Rowley explained what happens next, following this exciting announcement: "The announcement today - really important, a really big day for the local area - and then over the coming months, what the local Council and central Government will do is work together to agree the processes, sign off the money, and get that money going.

"Some proposals will be quick, and some will take more time. We want to get this money out as soon as possible, but also make sure that it is spent in the right way and make sure that it is as effective as it can be. We have to work closely with local Council to do that."

We also asked Minister Rowley what this Levelling Up means on both a local and national scale. Here is what he had to say:

Find out more about the Levelling Up Fund here, or sign up for the Oakham Nub News newsletter for more local and political news and more.