The Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Minister, Jacob Young MP, visited Rutland to hear more about progress made on plans for Rutland and Melton’s £23.7 million Levelling Up Fund (LUF).
The Minister began his visit at Rutland County Council, where Councillors and officials joined to discuss progress made and future plans for Rutland and Melton’s joint LUF bid.
Following this meeting the Minister visited Rutland County Museum, where £2 million will be invested in the creation of a mobile, digital visitor experience to view the county’s unique heritage treasures: the largest Ichthyosaur fossil in Europe and the remains of a 4th Century Roman Villa with an exceptional mosaic.
The Minister was shown around the existing medium facilities, including the extensive collection of farming machinery and equipment, before taking questions from local media on the Government’s LUF.
Alicia Kearns, Member of Parliament for Rutland and Melton, said:
“I was very proud to welcome the Minister to Rutland to showcase our amazing Levelling Up Funding success and all our county has to offer.
“Too often rural communities such as ours are overlooked, so I am delighted to have secured this once-in-a-generation amount of money to help put us on the map as we deserve to be.
“With around 80% of the UK’s population under a 4-hour drive from Rutland, my aim is to make Rutland the go to destination for weekend getaways, and I am pleased the Minister has shown his full support for our plans.”
Jacob Young, Minister for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, said:
“Levelling up is about spreading the equality of opportunity everywhere and it’s been fantastic to visit rural communities in Rutland and Melton to see for myself how levelling up investments are helping here.
“Projects like these sit at the heart of our levelling up ambition for the country and they will create long-lasting change and greater opportunities and jobs for people in communities such as these that we care so much about.
“It is also fantastic that some of this funding is being invested in the area’s rich culture and heritage, all of which will boost the local economy by attracting visitors for years to come.”
