No 'missing million' in Wolverhampton regeneration scheme, says council leader

Councillor Stephen Simkins, leader of Wolverhampton Council, said every penny of a £3.3 million 'levelling up' grant for the regeneration of Wednesfield town centre was accounted for. 

He was responding to Councillor Simon Bennett, who demanded to know what had happened to the 'missing million', when it emerged that only £2.17 million would be spent on actual physical works. He voiced concerns that money which should have been used for the benefit of the town had instead been spent on consultancy fees.

The money was awarded to the council as part of the Government's Levelling Up fund.

Councillor Simkins said it had been agreed more than two years ago how the money was allocated, and it was perfectly normal for a portion of the money to be set aside to cover the cost of developing the scheme.

He said it was utterly untrue to suggest that any money was 'missing'.

"In November 2022, the £3.3 million budget for the project was agreed and made public: £2.1 million will be spent 'in the ground', with the remaining £1.2 million spent on developing and delivering the scheme, which is usual for such projects," said Councillor Simkins.

"We've always committed to having the money on the scheme spent by the Government's deadline of March 2026, and we're on track to deliver that."

He said a breakdown of how the money was going to be spent was shared with the city investment board, which was made up of senior city representatives, including Labour and Conservative MPs.

"We're always open and transparent as a council, and every penny spent on delivering our scheme is accounted for,"he added.

"Councillor Bennett's inaccurate comments could cause significant public concern and confusion, tarnishing the council's reputation and undermining the work of its officers and political leadership who are all working hard to deliver for our city."