Reminders that Robert Jenrick awarded his own constituency of Newark-on-Trent £25 million from the Towns Fund have been circulating on social media after he failed to agree a package of financial support for Manchester to protect incomes for people forced out of work.
Talks with local authorities collapsed last night after the government refused to meet demands for £65 million to safeguard people amidst new strict lockdown rules.
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said £65 million was the “bare minimum to prevent a winter of real hardship” over a “punishing” winter, but the government was only prepared to part with £60 million.
Standing outside the Bridgewater Hall as he held a press conference, Mr Burnham found out the lockdown would come into force on Friday, and Sir Richard Leese said the region would get ‘£20 million only’.
The sum was later clarified to be £22 million.
The figure is well short of the £25 million which was awarded to Jenrick’s constituency from a controversial hardship fund – despite official figures showing it is far less deprived than neighbouring areas that have been overlooked.
According to the government’s own model for awarding funding, Newark-on-Trent is not an area of “high priority” for investment.
But Jenrick, who launched the £3.6 billion fund last September, saying the aim was to “level up our great towns”, managed to direct investment there regardless.
Analysis of the beneficiaries found 61 of the 101 towns chosen for funding were in marginal seats, leading to accusations that the fund represented spending of taxpayers’ money for party political purposes.
Needless to say the reaction on social media has been pretty brutal.
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