UK Government hands £60m to Doncaster towns to 'breathe new life' into high streets

The money comes from the Labour government’s “Pride in Place” scheme, which critics say is a rebrand of the Conservatives Levelling-Up programme. However, the government is pitching one key difference which will reportedly allow communities to better plan for the future.

Three Doncaster towns will receive £20m each from the scheme, delivered as £2m-per-year for the next 10 years.

New Rossington, Conisbrough North and Mexborough West are the local beneficiaries of the funding, with Mayor Ros Jones announcing Doncaster Central will also receive a £1.5m boost.

The mayor said: “I am delighted that Doncaster has been allocated £61.5 million of UK Government funding through the Pride In Place programme that will breathe new life into some of our most deprived communities over a ten-year period.”

Similarly, local MPs have welcomed the funding for Doncaster.

Ed Miliband, Doncaster North MP and Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, lauded yet another investment in Mexborough.

Before the local elections in May 2025, the Labour Government said it would be delivering £12.5m to regenerate Mexborough town centre – funding initially announced by the Conservative government as part of ‘Levelling-Up Three’.

Additionally, Mexborough has received £11m from City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS), bringing the total investment in the town to £43.5m with the new Pride In Place funding.

The funding has also been welcomed by opposition councillors. However, local Conservatives have questioned why so many other towns in Doncaster continue to go without.

Councillor Jane Cox said: “Any money invested into Doncaster on top of the millions already invested by the previous Conservative Government is welcome.

“However there are many towns and villages across the borough that would benefit from investment, so why is so much going to one place? We hope the money will be used for job creation and not more vanity projects.”

A Reform UK group spokesperson said: “We welcome investment into Doncaster’s communities, but let’s be clear, this is taxpayers’ money, not a Labour gift.

“Too often in the past funding has been wasted on failed schemes and headline projects that don’t deliver for residents. Reform councillors will insist on transparency and accountability so that every pound goes into real improvements people can see and feel in their daily lives.”

John Healey, MP for Rawmarsh and Conisbrough and Secretary of State for Defence, said the announcement was “a big win for Conisbrough”

“Local people know our area better than anyone else and it’s right that they get to decide how this money is used,” he added.

Lee Pitcher MP, whose constituency contains New Rossington, said the area had been “held back by a lack of long-term investment”.

He said: “This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to deliver meaningful change. We’ve secured the investment, now we must make sure it works for everyone who lives here.”