Continuity needed for Strength in Places Fund

Fund’s leader wants to keep scheme on track but warns projects are struggling to explain benefits

A funding boss has called for continuity in the Strength in Places Fund, regardless of the uncertainty around the upcoming general election, but has said that some bids are failing to convince about their potential economic impact.

Kate Barker, chair of the Strength in Places Fund and the Industrial Strategy Commission, said that although pre-election rules stopped her from talking about next steps for the fund, she hoped the project would be kept “moving ahead”. Barker, an economist with a background in construction, was speaking at a Westminster Higher Education Forum event in London on 12 November.