Purpose

On 9 June 2022 Lancashire County Council agreed a capital contribution of £5 million be made as local match funding to the East Lancashire Levelling up Fund (LUF) split over four years from 2023/24 to 2026/27.

As part of this commitment £1.25million of this contribution was included in the 2025/26 Capital Delivery Plan (Appendix A, Annex E) in the approved 2025/26 Budget Report to Cabinet on 6 February 2025.

Currently spend to March 2025 is scheduled to exceed the receipts available and additional monies are required to be allocated to funding East Lancashire LUF temporarily until the 2025/26 Grants are received. 

As part of the East Lancashire LUF Programme Investment Board meeting on the 7 March 2025 it was agreed that subject to a Scheme of Delegation Report being signed off by the Director of Environment and Planning the £1.25million allocation could be added into the East Lancashire LUF Programme in March 2025.

Decision

Jonathan Edwards, Director of Environment and Planning, took a decision to approve the allocation of £1.25million from the unallocated Transport grants pot temporarily awaiting 2025/26 Capital Transport Programme funding into the East Lancashire LUF Programme in April 2025. The £1.25million forms part of total contribution of £5million by LCC.