Worcester secures £2.3M for Scala project via Levelling Up, despite prior pledge of £5M and funding cut concerns.
The city received £2.33 million in total. They will use £1.7 million on the Corn Exchange. It will become an event and exhibition space. Another £370,000 will fund Scala office space. The city allocated £233,000 for an outdoor stage. This stage will sit outside the Scala building.
Lynn Denham thanked the government. Denham leads Worcester City Council for Labour. She appreciates the investment in culture. Marc Bayliss said the funding cut betrayed Worcester. Bayliss chairs the Worcester Conservatives group. He disagrees with the decision.
Denham knows the government faces tough choices. She understands disappointment for unfunded projects. They hoped for Levelling Up money. The prior government pledged £5 million in March 2024. This pledge came from the Conservative party.
Rachel Reeves announced a potential funding cut after July. Labour won the election. She cited a consultation phase as the reason. Worcester City Council and Tom Collins made a case. Collins is Worcester’s MP. They wanted the city to still get funding.
Collins thinks this is a victory for Worcester. The Scala project secured support. It will help the city center thrive. Bayliss said the Conservatives promised £5 million. He does not like losing £2.7 million.
He thinks the government is unfair. Bayliss believes the government does not care. He suspects they will send the money elsewhere. Worcester is getting less than promised. Some projects will not get funds because of limited money. A Learning Centre at the art museum is one example.