Recommendation 16

The Department’s rationale for opting for “a deals-based approach” to funding, rather than a competitive bidding process, was because towns most in need of investment would have been disadvantaged in a competitive bidding process due to a lack of leadership, resources or experience of dealing with government departments. The Department 30 Qq 60, 72–73 31 Q 60 32 Qq 85–86 33 Q 88 34 Qq 85–86 35 Qq 60, 85 36 Q 85 37 Q 88 Selecting towns for the Towns Fund 13 explained that a deals-based approach to selection enabled it to provide advice and support to help towns develop their bid and build capacity.38 With this in mind, the Department allocated around £14 million of “capacity funding” to towns that are eligible for the Towns Fund, to support them in developing their plans. The Department cited project management as an example of a common area where towns would need some help.39