Spring Budget brings Levelling Up cash for Lancashire projects

By Tim Aldred

15 Mar 2023

Aerial shot of Blackburn

The Chancellor's Spring Budget included nearly £40m in Levelling Up funding for Blackburn with Darwen and Rossendale.

Blackburn with Darwen has been granted £20m to help pave the way for a brand new skills and education campus of national significance. The proposal is part of the £250m Blackburn Town Centre Masterplan.

Blackburn with Darwen Council submitted two compelling Levelling Up bids to the government last year – securing £20m in January for improvements to Junction 5 of the M65 and transport links in that surrounding area. A second bid to help bring forward the plans for a £60m skills and education campus will now receive £20m of funding too.

Both schemes are central to delivering the Council’s ambitious, long-term growth strategy which links to new major opportunities at Samlesbury Enterprise Zone – including the planned relocation of the Government’s new National Cyber Force HQ.

Coun Phil Riley, leader of Blackburn with Darwen Council said: “This is fantastic news for our borough. The Council is carving out a really strong reputation for Blackburn with Darwen as a place to invest and do business and this further cements that.

"When we look at our performance over the last decade, we’re already starting to close the economic gaps against national benchmarks. We’re also outperforming our regional comparators in terms of the economic value of what we generate, the jobs we are creating and the new homes we are providing.

“This new funding will help us build on that and we’re looking forward to working out the finer details with government.”

Meanwhile, Rossendale has secured £17.9m to invest in a series of projects including reconfiguring Rawtenstall market, redeveloping the site of the existing Bacup Market, creating a new centre for skills provision in Rawtenstall and streamlining the gyratory system in Rawtenstall.

Coun Alyson Barnes, leader of Rossendale Council, said: "We’re very pleased to have finally received almost £18m in funding which we first identified in our Levelling Up bid. The council, along with our partners and stakeholders, have worked incredibly hard to maintain the pressure on the government. Ultimately, we have ensured Rossendale has not missed out on what we need.

“Rossendale is already a great place to live, work and invest but with this investment from central government we can make it even better. Traditionally we have had lower skilled jobs in Rossendale, and we want to improve conditions to attract those businesses that will bring with them higher skilled and better paid jobs.

"That includes making our town centres better to attract investment, boosting footfall in the town centres, improving our road system and opening a Skills and Training Centre in the heart of the borough."

Enjoyed this? Read more from Tim Aldred

Latest news

1

High street retailers urged to ‘take advantage’ of new funded support programme Brian Moore, Lee Johnson, Anne Williamson and Andrew Leeming

High street retailers urged to ‘take advantage’ of new funded support programme

08 Sep 2025

2

Beaverbrooks invest in the high street in difficult conditions Mark Adlestone And Anna Blackburn Beaverbrooks

Beaverbrooks invest in the high street in difficult conditions

08 Sep 2025

3

Preston City Council invests £250,000 in NW Mutual NW Mutual chief exec Dave Burke and Valerie Wise and Matthew Brown from Preston City Council

Preston City Council invests £250,000 in NW Mutual

08 Sep 2025

4

Profit before tax doubles for Eric Wright Group in latest results Jeremy Hartley

Profit before tax doubles for Eric Wright Group in latest results

08 Sep 2025

5

Bodycare set to shut 32 of its stores Nick Holloway of administrators Interpath

Bodycare set to shut 32 of its stores

05 Sep 2025

Background image for hub sign up block

LBV Hub

Leverage Lancashire Business View platforms

Post your news
Post your events
Post your offers
Build your network
Improve your SEO
Gain coverage in the magazine
Sign-up
Events
Sub36 Networking - Follow the signs
Sub36 Deaf Village Social1200
Networking
17 Sep 2025

Sub36 Networking - Follow the signs

The Deaf Village, Blackburn, BB2 5EN

10:00 - 12:00

LBV124 September/October Launch Event
MBP Arc Cinema Preston Opening 205
Networking
18 Sep 2025

LBV124 September/October Launch Event

The Arc Cinema, Preston, PR1 2BL

08:30 - 10:30

CMI Level 5 Management and Leadership Course
UCLanAerialCampus.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
21 Feb 2025 - 21 Feb 2026

CMI Level 5 Management and Leadership Course

Preston Campus, Preston , PR1 2HE

09:00 - 17:00

CMI Level 5 Project Management Course
UCLanAerialCampus.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
21 Feb 2025 - 21 Feb 2026

CMI Level 5 Project Management Course

Preston Campus, Preston, PR1 2HE

08:00 - 17:00

Longridge Soap Box Derby
Screenshot 2025-06-10 090035.png.png
LBV Hub Fundraisers
14 Sep 2025 - 14 Sep 2025

Longridge Soap Box Derby

Berry Lane, Longridge, PR3 3WH

10:00 - 16:30

Preston Tech Connection - The Ultimate Tech Quiz!
Preston Tech Connection Sept 25.png.png
LBV Hub Networking
16 Sep 2025 - 16 Sep 2025

Preston Tech Connection - The Ultimate Tech Quiz!

Society1, Coworking Space, Preston, PR1 3LT

18:00 - 19:00

The Business Network Central & East Lancashire
LBV Hub Networking
17 Sep 2025 - 17 Sep 2025

The Business Network Central & East Lancashire

Stanley House, Blackburn, BB2 7NP

11:30 - 14:15

Cumbria Business Expo 2025
https---cdn.evbuc.com-images-880461633-4862066883-1-original.20241022-110415.jpeg.jpg
LBV Hub Exhibitions
19 Sep 2025 - 19 Sep 2025

Cumbria Business Expo 2025

Carlisle Racecourse, Carlisle, CA2 4TS

09:00 - 15:00

Your Business, Your Region: Making sense of devolution and Local Government Reorganisation
Chorley Council breakfast event new
LBV Hub Networking
23 Sep 2025 - 23 Sep 2025

Your Business, Your Region: Making sense of devolution and Local Government Reorganisation

Worden Hall, Leyland, PR25 3DH

08:00 - 11:00

Preston Freelancer Meet-Up: September
Sept Freelancer (1).png.png
LBV Hub Networking
23 Sep 2025 - 23 Sep 2025

Preston Freelancer Meet-Up: September

Society1, Coworking Space, Preston, PR1 3LT

10:00 - 11:30

Speed Networking with BNI
2.png.png
LBV Hub Networking
24 Sep 2025 - 24 Sep 2025

Speed Networking with BNI

Chorley Football Club, Chorley, PR7 3DU

16:00 - 19:00

The Marketing Meetup IRL: Lancashire - September
TMM Lancashire
LBV Hub Networking
25 Sep 2025 - 25 Sep 2025

The Marketing Meetup IRL: Lancashire - September

Chorley, PR7 2SL

18:00 - 20:00

Advertise with us

Reaching 50,000 members, our print, digital and event platforms offer a fantastic way to raise your business profile and help you grow.

Find out more LBV 123 Online Graphic
Subscribe now

Weekly news bulletin