Naturally I was pleased that last week we met a key deadline for submitting all of our final business cases to the Government, relating to each of the now 10 Town Deal projects. 

At one point, I felt there was a real risk we could miss out on some of the £25 million funding for the Town. The whole process was not as straightforward as it ought to have been and progress should have been swifter. 

I’ve gone into detail before about the reasons for the slow progress and I’ve made my views clear regarding the performance of the Borough Council. However, I’m pleased that the new Chief Executive approached the task with more urgency, and we’ve certainly moved forward. 

I was surprised however, to see it stated in the media that all the £25 million funding for the Town Deal has been signed off. This is simply not the case. The hard deadline for providing all the final business cases for each of the 10 projects had been met. There is also every reason to believe that in the not-too-distant future all the funding will be confirmed. However, it’s simply factually incorrect to state that last week, or now, all the funding has been 100% secured from the Government.  

I’m at a loss as to why Ipswich Labour have been claiming this is the case. It’s also something some the Government have been quite perplexed by. I hope it wasn’t simply a cynical ploy to get a positive headline out ahead of the local elections. If so, I think it’s very important that the facts are set straight, which is why I am outlining them here today. 

Once we have all the funding 100% secured, it's important we then fully turn our attention to delivery and ensuring we have the capacity needed to deliver quickly. I think a number of Ipswich residents are slightly sick of hearing about this £25 million without seeing tangible changes on the ground, in terms of the positive difference made. 

Just the other week, I visited the Paul’s Silo site to get an update on progress. Though pleased at some of the positive developments, I do plan to be challenging on timescales. 

Ipswich Star: The former Paul's Maltings at the entrance to Ipswich Waterfront - could this be transformed by the new town deal? Picture: ARCHANT

Over the past week I’ve attended several meetings relating to the Broomhill Lido project with my colleague Dr Dan Poulter. We’re exploring different avenues to secure the additional funding we need to get the project over the line. I’m hopeful that there may well be a pathway to us getting the project over the line. But quite a few things need to align for this to be the case. 

Coincidentally, this week I was notified that I’ve secured what they call an “Adjournment debate” on the Broomhill Lido project. This is a special debate that takes place in the House of Commons Chamber which will last for 30 minutes and will give us an opportunity to raise the profile of the issue and make very clear to the Government the various benefits it would bring to the local community. 

Ipswich Star: Tom Hunt with Mark Ling of Broomhill Trust on a recent visitTom Hunt with Mark Ling of Broomhill Trust on a recent visit (Image: contributed)

Most of the money has already been raised and is still secure. We still have a way to go, but I’m more confident than I was a month or so ago of a successful outcome.  

Huge credit to the Broomhill Pool Trust and others who have kept this campaign going despite all the setbacks, and Dr Dan Poulter who has been working on this longer than me! 

I feel strongly that the physical health, mental health and cultural and social benefits of the Broomhill Lido project are vast.