The Government has published guidance for applications to the second round of its flagship Levelling Up Fund, which could see up to £50m awarded for individual transport projects.
The guidance follows publication of the prospectus for Round 2 of the fund last month and a technical note
In total the fund is worth £4.8bn and the first round saw £1.7bn awarded in the Autumn, with around £450m for transport. Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced the second round in the Spring Statement, although no funding envelope was announced.
The fund is only for capital funding and is administered by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), Department for Transport (DfT) and the Treasury.
Single bids under the fund should not exceed £20m, unless they meet the criteria for a large transport or large culture bid, which can be for a maximum of £50m.
The three themes for the fund are ‘local transport projects that make a genuine difference to local areas’, regeneration, and support cultural and heritage assets.
According the prospectus, transport bids should cover issues such as public transport, active travel, bridge repairs, bus priority, local road improvements and major structural maintenance, and accessibility improvements.
With large schemes being the exception, schemes should have a high-impact on carbon emissions, improving air quality, cutting congestion, supporting economic growth, and improving the safety, security and overall experience of transport users.
For large transport bids, at least 90% of the cash must be spent on transport. Applicants do not have to be local authorities, although a complex ‘bid allowance’ process means that bids must be linked to one or more local authorities.
In addition, large transport bids and bids using a transport allowance must have the support of the relevant statutory authorities for transport.
The application portal opens on 31 May and will close on 6 July.
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