Brixham fails in £20 million funding bid

But will try again for harbour improvements

There was huge disappointment for Torbay Council this week as its application for a £20 million boost for Brixham Harbour failed to get the backing of government - but the area's MP remains optimistic.

The council, with support of local MPs, applied for £20 million from the government’s 'levelling up’ fund in June to improve Brixham’s Fish Quay and market and create a new electronics and photonics production park.

Photonics deals with the science behind the generation and maniputlation of light - and, along with the electronics element, it was hoped the money would revitalise the area and boost local employment. But when chancellor Rishi Sunak announced successful applications of the first tranche of funding, Torbay’s name was not on the list.

In the end, 106 bids from councils across the UK were awarded a combined total of £1.7 billion from the Levelling Up fund. Another £3.1 billion will be awarded at a future date, with the next application window expected to open next March.

Leader of the Lib Dem-Independent Torbay Council Steve Darling (Liberal Democrats, Barton with Watcombe) said: “We are disappointed that the chancellor has denied Torbay our levelling up bid of £20 million for Brixham. Our once in a generation plan to enhance and extend Brixham Fish Quay was set to lead to 150 year-round jobs and was could have generated more than £11 million a year for Brixham’s economy.”

Cllr Darling said he would be contacting government civil servants for an explanation.

Though within Torbay Council’s district, Brixham is in the parliamentary constituency of Totnes and South Devon. The Conservative MP for the area, Anthony Mangall, was more optimistic than Torbay's leader, saying the news didn’t represent the end of the line for the Brixham bid. 

He said: “It is of course disappointing that we didn’t get through on tranche one, but what I’ve had back from ministers is a reassurance that the bid is actually very good [but] it needs to be improved upon in some areas.

Mr Mangall will meet officials over the next few weeks to improve and enhance the bid before resubmitting it at the next round of funding.

He added: “I’ve spoken to Michael Gove, I’ve spoken to the team in his department. I’ve spoken to the fishing minister, I’ve spoken to the secretary of state and Defra [Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs] on this front.

“Everyone is of the mind that Brixham is a great project that we want to see developed and we have got to push on with that.  My intention now is to double down and make sure we resubmit an improved bid and I’ll be working with local groups to do so and we’ll go for the money that is remaining.

“It’s by no means a fait accompli. It’s by no means closed for Brixham. There’s plenty of opportunity for us to do this.”

Torbay Council’s bid aimed to throwing a rope to Brixham’s fishing industry, which has been wrestling with the double impacts of the pandemic and Brexit. Part of the idea was to reclaim land in order to extend Brixham harbour and fish market, allowing up to five extra fishing vessels to offload simultaneously. There were also plans for two new auction halls, doubling current capacity. 

The application also include a bid to create a new production centre for an electronics and photonics company. It was hoped this would have led to the creation of 175 new jobs and an £18 million annual boost to the local economy.

Mr Mangall said he would be circulating a copy of responses he received from the government to Brixham councillors, the Torbay Development Authority (TDA) and local fishing groups. 

It could be around four months before the council can reapply to the Levelling Up fund. Mr Mangall hopes the longer time period to prepare the new bid will improve its chances of success.

If the second bid also fails, Mr Mangall said he would be looking to other funding pots, adding: “My rule has always been if you don’t ask, you don’t get and we are submitting bids in a whole host of directions.” He argued that the Fisheries and Seafood scheme, a government fund for projects to support sustainable fishing, was another important opportunity.

So far the government has allocated £22 million for regeneration projects in Torquay from the Town Deal fund. Paignton has been awarded £13 million from the Future High Streets fund.