An Ipswich MP is asking council chiefs for support believing projects in part of his constituency are being overlooked for funding.
Patrick Spencer, MP for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich, has written to Helen Pluck, CEO of Ipswich Borough Council, requesting funding from a new government scheme that would "prioritise communities that have been overlooked".
Ipswich was awarded £1.5million by the government as part of the Pride in Place scheme which can be used to fund projects that will make a difference to the town.
Mr Spencer, whose constituency includes the wards of Castle Hill, Whitton and Whitehouse, has asked Mrs Pluck to use the Pride in Place funding to prioritise projects in the north of the town, highlighting "unequal funding" towards the town centre and the Ipswich Waterfront.
Mr Spencer said: "The unequal funding agreement is not a consequence of fewer funding opportunities either.
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"As you know Broomhill Lido sits on the edge of north Ipswich and has been crying out for financial support for years, and while I appreciate IBC have been constructive in supporting plans, the lido remains out-of-action.
"Castle Hill Community Centre has plans for a major redevelopment, adding more space and capacity for young families, SEND children, older residents and other community groups.
"I will be encouraging Whitton Football Club, Castle Hill Community Centre, Broomhill Lido and other groups to apply for the fund. Can I ask that you and your team prioritise investment in communities that have been overlooked in recent years."
But Neil MacDonald, Labour leader of Ipswich council, disagrees with the MP saying: "We care about Ipswich as a whole and don't agree that north Ipswich has received disproportionately less funding than other areas.
"We are reliant on organisations applying for funding when it is available and in our experience organisations in the north of Ipswich have actively engaged with us. An example of this is that 25% of the Community Facilities Grants from the Local Shopping Parades Towns Fund project were awarded to projects in north-west Ipswich.
"Grant awards will be based on how they will contribute to building strong, resilient, prosperous and inclusive communities, improve health and well-being and how they increase pride in the neighbourhood, not on their geographical location within the borough.
"The Ipswich Vision Board of which Patrick Spencer MP is a member, resolved that they will consider applications at their scheduled meeting in March, following which the council as the government appointed accountable body for the Pride in Place Impact Fund will consider and approve grant applications, advising applicants as soon as possible thereafter."
Mr MacDonald also said that there had been 19 submissions for the Pride in Place fund "some of which are in the north of the borough".
The Pride in Place funding
This includes funding for projects throughout the borough as well as giving the council more powers to block "unwanted" businesses such as extra vape stores and phone shops.
Submissions for the Pride in Place funding opened on Monday, January 5 with a deadline set for Friday, February 27.
The Ipswich Vision Board, which is responsible for the Towns Fund, will consider applications at a meeting in March.
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