‘OUTRAGED’ civic leaders will lead a delegation to London to demand a fairer slice of funding – as a stark warning is issued over the impact of a lack of investment.

Leader of Weymouth and Portland Borough Council Cllr Jeff Cant told a meeting of the management committee yesterday that he and South Dorset MP Richard Drax will go to the Department of Communities and Local Government to argue for a bigger share of Dorset Local Enterprise Partnership LEP funding.

It comes after the latest LEP funding settlement – worth £19.5m - saw just a few hundred thousand pounds go to West Dorset, and nothing at all to Weymouth and Portland.

The borough council had put in a request for funding to spend on flood defences.

Cllr Ray Nowak, briefholder for environment and sustainability, told the committee that ‘alarm bells are ringing’ as regards the town flood defences because ‘Dorset LEP did not come forward with the money’.

He added: “If we do not get the funding very soon for Weymouth then the issue will just grow and grow and become more and more significant. That means flooding in the town centre, that means loss of jobs, loss of businesses, loss of people’s homes. It can’t get any more important than this.”

Cllr Nowak suggested that representations be made to central government, which he said ‘pulls the strings of Dorset LEP’. But Cllr Cant said this is already underway.

He told the committee that Mr Drax has recently agreed to lead the delegation, and they will be inviting ‘significant local businesspeople’ along to lend weight to their case.

Cllr Cant called the funding formula a ‘deeply flawed system’, adding: “I am outraged by the way we have been treated.”

He quoted government figures suggesting that while job numbers have grown by seven per cent over the last five years nationally, and two per cent in Dorset overall, they have decreased by five per cent in Weymouth and Portland.

LEPs are given grants by central government to grow the economy, and drive long-term investment.

Cllr Cant said: “In the last three years we have only received £600,000 for consultants to design the masterplan. Consultancy work does not benefit the community. I expressed this very forcefully to the LEP. Other leaders in the east are feeling very comfortable - £14m out of £19m has gone to Bournemouth and Poole.

“Recently, Richard Drax has agreed to lead a delegation to the DCLG and the secretary of state to make representations on behalf of Weymouth as to how poor this has been. 

“The LEP has badly let us down and we really do need to push this onto the highest level. And we will do, I promise you that. We won’t let this go.”

"Funding is focused on growth not need"

Rob Dunford, interim Dorset LEP Director said: "We understand the frustration and disappointment expressed by Weymouth and Portland Borough Council. Dorset LEP would very much have liked to have secured this funding for Dorset. We are confident in a robust process but the criteria for Growth Deal funding is heavily focused on opportunity for creating growth and not on local need. Unfortunately, on this occasion, the project submitted by the Council didn’t make it over the line. 

"The £19.5 million which has been attracted into the region by Dorset LEP has now been committed to projects which offered greater value for money for the public purse. However, if the Council is able to secure alternative funding based on need which also enables jobs and growth, then Dorset LEP would be keen to support them and we are confident that there will be opportunities to continue to working together in the future."