MP calls for Knottingley to get share of £190m sports fund

The town’s MP has told Sport England and government ministers that the area is badly in need of facilities to promote healthy lifestyles.

In November, Sport England announced the new fund, which will be focused on between 80 and 100 “priority areas” across the country.

Places will be chosen according to need in terms of access to sports facilities, local health and activity levels.

Knottingley has had two Levelling Up Funding bids rejected by the government.

Yvette Cooper, Labour MP for Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford, said she had met with Sport England representatives to urge them to make Knottingley one of the priority areas.

She said: “Continued talk from the Government about levelling up is meaningless when funding bids for Knottingley are repeatedly turned down.

“We’ve had over a decade of Conservative government austerity and Knottingley has been hard hit.”

The Labour MP is also calling on the government to rethink Levelling Up Fund decisions.

Wakefield Council’s bid would also have helped deliver new sports facilities and Knottingley town centre improvements.

Ms Cooper said she has written to the Levelling Up department to urge them to include Knottingley in the investment that is being distributed this year.

Previous independent analysis showed that Knottingley should have been one of the highest-ranking towns to get regeneration investment.

The MP added: “We badly need new sports facilities in Knottingley.

“I have met with Sport England and I am urging them to make Knottingley a priority area for new sports investment.

“Local children and sports teams urgently need new facilities in town.”