Councillors will be asked to try and overturn a decision on a failed £18 million funding bid for Elgin.
Moray Council spent around £325,000 putting together an application to the UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund.
The money was to be used to redevelop areas in Elgin.
But the bid was rejected.
Failed £18m bid
Now two SNP councillors want Secretary of State for Levelling Up Michael Gove to reverse that decision.
Member for Elgin South Graham Leadbitter is putting forward a notice of motion.
He wants a letter to go to Mr Gove expressing the council’s concern at the lack of funding, and also for the decision to be overturned.
Mr Leadbitter is seconded by Buckie councillor John Stuart.
The move will be discussed at a meeting of the economic development and infrastructure committee next week.
The motion asks the committee to commend work put in by officers for the “strong and ambitious bid” to the second round of the Levelling Up Fund.
It also wants committee chairman Marc Macrae to write to Mr Gove expressing “dismay” at the decision and ask for it to be “reversed”.
The Westminster government gave around £125,000 towards the cost of preparing the bid.
Although design work compiled for the application will be used by the council to try and secure other funding, that money is not guaranteed.
Elgin rejuvenation
It means a delay to work on three projects in Elgin the £18 million was supposed to fund.
One was to tackle flooding at the auction mart and former sawmill site on Linkwood Road.
Disused buildings in the town centre were to be redeveloped for commercial and residential use.
And the third was to create an arts centre on South Street.
Around 40 jobs were expected to be created as part of the rejuvenation work.
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