Torridge District Council has this week unveiled a pitch for £20 million of government funding, which it hopes will still be earmarked for the area despite a change in government, writes Alison Stephenson

The council has written to Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, who is Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, to find out the state of play with the money which was part of the levelling up funding for deprived areas announced last year.

Government cash of more than £15 million is already secured for a clean maritime innovation centre at Appledore which is expected to be a regional focal point for activity when it opens in 2026.

It will support innovation in fields such as clean-propulsion, green hydrogen, maritime cyber security, robotics, aquaculture and environmental intelligence.

Torridge and North Devon are also part of the Crown Estate’s Celtic Sea floating offshore wind programme and home to the largest seaweed farm in the UK approved by the  Marine Management Organisation. The creation of an ‘aquaculture enterprise zone’ in the waters off the districts is being investigated.

The ‘Torridge Place Story’ was produced for the former levelling up programme to demonstrate how the area can capitalise on its emerging strengths in the clean maritime and green energy sectors.

It has involved a cross-section of people from the district council and local  businesses, and highlights other key sectors for growth – pharmacutical, healthcare and wellbeing, agriculture, food, drink and the green economy, creative industries and the year-round visitor economy. They will all have net zero ambitions running through them.

The success of these industries in Torridge is expected to deal with the challenges which have hindered the area such as low wages, low attainment, a lack of skills and reduced life expectancy.

Ms Rayner has scrapped levelling up the title from her government department saying it was a “gimmick” by the Conservatives, but says she is still committed to addressing regional inequality

The ambitions were highlighted in key documents including the North Devon and Torridge Economic Strategy 2024-29 and Clean Maritime Growth Vision, which were adopted by members along with the Torridge Place Story and will now be submitted to government.

But councillors were told that if the £20 million was not forthcoming, the ambition is still the same.

Paul Coles, CEO of the South West Business Council and chair of the Torridge Place Board said the work of the council’s economic development team had been “superb” and had not gone unnoticed by companies looking to invest in Devon. He said the storytelling had been “an exemplar” to other districts and huge credit to the team at TDC.

Economic development officer for the authority Chris Fuller said the vision for clean maritime growth had to be raised nationally because “we are generally considered to be the forerunners in this. Our place story is getting good traction in Westminster and within the private sector”.

Cllr Teresa Tinsley (Lib Dem, Bideford North) would have liked to have seen more cultural, tourism and heritage in the story but was told that the other sectors were more likely to attract major investors.

And Cllr Annie Brenton (Lab, Bideford West) said socio-economic problems in Torridge were hardly mentioned and it could be that Angela Rayner would be looking for that when deciding on who should get help. But her suggestion to defer the item until more is known about the new government’s plans was not supported.

“I would like to have seen the darker side of the problems in Torridge included, the very reasons why we were in line for levelling up funding in the first place,” she said. “This document is very good, but it’s not comprehensive enough to deserve the funding.”

Cllr Simon Newton (Con, Winkleigh) said this document was “a pitch” for investment and the council should not “put all the dirty washing out on the table” as it might put people off.

Leader of the council Ken James (Ind, Milton and Tamarside) said if the council could drive the economy forward it would get the money needed to tackle the issues it faces.