Rachel Gilmour, MP for Tiverton and Minehead, has called on Bishops Lydeard Parish Council to allocate an additional £50,000 from its Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funds. This crucial boost could unlock the £370,000 redevelopment of the old schoolhouse into a much-needed nursery for Bishops Lydeard Church School.
The appeal follows a recent CIL Subcommittee meeting on October 15, where councillors recommended £100,000 to fit out the new nursery building. Despite this progress, the overall project remains stalled after a failed government funding bid earlier this year.
The Bath & Wells Multi Academy Trust, which manages the school, has committed to matching external contributions up to £150,000. Gilmour insists that the parish council must now step up with the remaining funds to move the project forward.
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She warns, “While I appreciate the CIL subcommittee’s recommendation of £100,000 for fitting out the nursery, if the next Department for Education funding application is unsuccessful, there won’t be a nursery building to fit out.”
The MP supports a second application to the Department for Education’s Nursery Capital Grant, due by December 22. She emphasizes the project’s alignment with Somerset Council’s education strategy and its role in supporting the national rollout of free childcare, which would greatly benefit local families.
Bishops Lydeard was previously awarded £795,000 in CIL funds, but concerns are growing over the allocation of this money. Nearly £60,000 has been spent on a Bristol-based consultancy’s ‘Roads and Traffic Project,’ which has since been reduced from 14 schemes down to a single village gateway proposal on Cothelstone Road, estimated to cost over £100,000.
Local parent governor Rebecca Wheatley highlights the urgency. “Families in Bishops Lydeard desperately need local nursery places. Many are being turned away while the Parish Council holds unspent CIL funds intended for projects exactly like this one,” she said.
“The Bath & Wells Multi Academy Trust is ready to invest, but the nursery can only proceed if the Parish Council provides matching funding of £150,000. This is a clear opportunity to deliver lasting benefits for our children and community. The funding is available — what’s needed now is the will to use it.”
The demand for childcare is expected to rise with Cavanna Homes’ recent plan to build 130 new homes to the west of the village.
Ms Gilmour concludes: “I once again urge Bishops Lydeard Parish Council to take decisive action, allocate the necessary £150,000, and kickstart this vital community infrastructure project. Just £50,000 more could get the redevelopment underway, benefiting children and parents by next September.”