Calls for more devolution after ‘chaotic’ and ‘arbitrary’ allocation of Levelling Up funding
Gwynedd Council’s leader has described the allocation of the UK Government’s Levelling Up fund as “chaotic, arbitrary and ad-hoc” and has called for more powers to be devolved to Wales.
Eleven projects in Wales secured £208m from round two of the Levelling Up Fund last month, including £18.8m to upgrade walking and cycling routes for the National Slate Museum and the Neuadd Ogwen arts centre in Gwynedd.
However, a forty-million-pound bid for ‘levelling up’ money to improve Bangor city centre was rejected.
The Department for Levelling Up had promised that the latest round of levelling up funding would deliver much-needed economic growth and new jobs to communities across the country, as the Prime Minister promised to “build a future of optimism”.
But in the aftermath of the allocation the government was accused of presiding over a “Hunger Games-style contest where communities are pitted against one another”.
Dyfrig Siencyn, leader of the local authority says Westminster has reneged on its promise to ensure “not one penny less” came to Wales following Brexit via it’s levelling up funding.
Political whims
“We are appreciative of the money we have received for the ‘Llewyrch o’r Llechi’ Slate Valleys scheme as part of the UK Government’s Levelling Up fund,” Dyfrig Siencyn said’
“But, the whole system of allocating money for economic community investments is chaotic, arbitrary, ad-hoc and completely dependent on political whims and civil servants in London.
“There is NO strategy for the way in which the money is invested, and indeed, it goes against the Tories’ promise that “not one penny less” will come into Wales after leaving the European Union.
“We are losing £1.1 billion investment in Wales over the next three years and local authority spending per head has fallen by 9.4% in the last ten years,” he added.
“The Tories are bulldozing plans designed by Welsh Government and local government for regional investment within our own communities.
“How long can we sustain being ruled by a government that is so reckless, clueless and disorganised?
“Surely Levelling Up funding should be allocated according to relative need and not be distributed to wealthy areas such as the UK Prime Ministers’ Richmond constituency?
“It is time that we stand on our own feet and high time for Welsh Labour to stand up for the people of Wales in the face of the abusive way the Tories in London are dealing with our country. Labour needs to claim its place and demand more devolution for Wales.”
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Dyfrig not mincing his words, speaking truth to power…
UDI for Gwynedd and a Senedd free of its shackles to London…
Summed it up neatly – “chaotic, arbitrary and ad-hoc”. Indeed that does the job of describing entire government policy and practice.
It’s all about control not leveling up. Stop devolution with a thousand cuts, subtlety and stealthy, so we don’t see it and complain. Before we know it the Senedd will be gone. We must wake up and gain independence as soon as possible.
So the answer is to hand it to that lot in Cardiff. Wow more land for festivals, forests, wind turbines, solar panels and cycle paths. The whole political system from Westminster to County Council level is in need of a drastic overhaul
You have to wonder what goes on in politicians’ heads at times like this. We keep getting pompous lectures about scarcity of resources swiftly followed by random spending decisions that seldom represent anything remotely akin to “value”. Grey people in grey suits behaving like a bunch of anarchists.
Yes. Lets hold a Welsh Constitutional Convention and design a proper Wales
The problem is the UK government collects our taxes with its HMRC regime and decides how it is allocated and spent. There is really no real accountability for Wales to exercise its policies or priorities.
I want to pay my taxes due to the Welsh government’s tax revenue system rather than being billed from a neighbouring country with a different political regime.
The Welsh and Scottish governments must serve an Unconditional Declaration of Independence and be ready to set up our own institutions including currency, national banks, Tax & Revenue departments, foreign, immigration and boarder offices and military,