A YEAR’S delay has been announced in the release of the £20 million Levelling Up funding allocated to Dumfries.
Town board chairman Richie Nicoll revealed the situation in an update this week.
Although he confirmed the town is still in line for the money from the UK Government, he also ‘regrettably’ announced that the initial project funds are now expected in April 2026.
But Mr Nicholl said: “Although this may seem negative, even if we received the funds tomorrow, the necessary procedures and tenders processes would mean that work would not commence much before April 2026.”
To ensure readiness for when that happens, the board has agreed to immediately recruit a full-time programme manager to initiate the various interventions requested by the public during the engagement process. They will also be responsible for ensuring the local projects comply with government guidance.
And they hope it will enable them to ‘act promptly’ upon the release of funds.
Mr Nicoll described it as a “positive development” and stressed the incumbent will be a locally employed individual.
Meanwhile, the board now has three sub-committees to look at the areas of transport and connectivity; safety and security; and high streets, heritage and regeneration.
Two new people are also being sought to join the board, which has a new home in The Hub at the bottom of Friars Vennel.
Concluding his update, Mr Nicoll said: “We acknowledge potential concerns regarding the delay but emphasise the positives of our proactive groundwork approach.
“We invite all community members to join us for discussions at our new location once operational.
“Our board remains determined and confident in delivering the initiatives requested by the people of Dumfries.”
