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Majority of UK Government’s ‘levelling up’ funds for Wales going to Conservative constituencies 

27 Oct 2021 3 minute read
Rishi Sunak at Westminster. Picture by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (CC BY-ND 2.0). Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, Llangollen Canal. Picture by Snapshooter46 (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0),

The majority of ‘levelling up’ funds for Wales are going to Conservative constituencies, it has been announced today.

The Conservatives won 14 of 40 seats in Wales at the 2019 General Election but Tory seats will receive over 60% – £73.2m – of the levelling up cash.

Only 16.7% of the money – £20.2m – will go to Labour constituencies, despite them winning 22 of Wales 40 seats. Even Plaid Cymru constituencies will get more, with £27.5m doled out there.

Today, Rishi Sunak has said £121m of funding will go to 10 specific schemes in Wales as part of that fund. The schemes are:

  1. Carmarthenshire’s Tywi Valley Path gets £16.7m
  2. Carmarthen and Pembroke Hwb gets £19.9m
  3. Ceredigion council’s bid for Aberystwyth will get £10.8m
  4. Muni Arts Centre in RCT receives £5.3m
  5. Porth Transport Hub in RCT gets £3.5m
  6. Heart of Pembrokeshire Rediscovering receives £17.7m
  7. The A4119 Coed-ely dualling schemes in Pontypridd receives £11.4m
  8. The plan to redevelop Theatyr Brycheiniog in Brecon gets £6.9m
  9. The bid to “revitalise the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal World Heritage Site” receives £13.3m
  10. Montgomery Canal Restoration receives £15.4m

Six of the schemes are in Conservative constituencies, three in Labour seats and two in Plaid Cymru seats.

Of the £4.8bn in the levelling up pot, £800m has been shared between Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

‘Kickstart’

The Welsh Conservatives said that “despite the unprecedented challenges caused by the pandemic, this Conservative UK Government is getting on with the job and delivering on the priorities of people in Wales”.

“Labour’s playbook of excuses has run out and it’s time they used the tools at their disposal to get on with the job and kickstart the Welsh economy, tackle the NHS crisis, and deliver a better future for our children, rather than their constant obsession with powers and the constitution,” Shadow Finance Minister, Peter Fox MS, said.

Wales’ economy minister Vaughan Gething had previously described the plan to decision to bypass the Welsh Government and directly allocate funding via UK-wide funds as a “deliberate assault on Welsh devolution”.

Speaking in the Senedd in June, Economy Minister, Vaughan Gething, said: “These UK proposals represent a new era of aggressive centralisation. One that deliver a very clear, message to Wales: ‘you’ll get what you’re given.’

“It’s an approach that provokes division based on an economic rationale that is difficult to identify, let alone endorse.

“Worse still, this top down, throwback to pre devolution economic policy is a deliberate assault on Welsh devolution. As things stand, Wales is set to have less say, over less money.”


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Quornby
Quornby
2 years ago

Who said this a*** was entitled to set our priorities? Oh yes the voters of Surrey, sorry.

Dim problem
Dim problem
2 years ago
Reply to  Quornby

“Our” – wind your neck in, Saes.

Rob
Rob
2 years ago
Reply to  Dim problem

A despicable attitude on display here. Utter contempt for the English. Wales has no need for this kind of hatred just because you disagree with someone’s viewpoint.

Gafan
Gafan
2 years ago
Reply to  Rob

English out of Wales!

Erisian
Erisian
2 years ago

Those wishing to feign surprise, please form an orderly queue.

Steve Duggan
Steve Duggan
2 years ago

It’s all about consolidating support in Tory held seats and undermining the Senedd. Don’t worry things ‘will’ change upon independence. Westminster has thrown its last imperial dice with the Internal marketing act – it’ll lead to the break-up of the UK.

Meredith Tranter
Meredith Tranter
2 years ago
Reply to  Steve Duggan

Last independence poll : Yes : 28% ; No : 57% ; Undecided : 15%

So at this rate, even the undecideds wouldn’t sway it.

I think this site might be a minority opinion, don’t you.

Dim problem
Dim problem
2 years ago

Half the commenters on this site dismiss the opinions of the majority of the Welsh people. They claim anyone who disagrees with them “isn’t Welsh”.

Steve Duggan
Steve Duggan
2 years ago

It depends on who you ask, doesn’t it. Thankfully, our youth show 68% in favour of independence. I think we can safely say our days in the Union are numbered.

Gareth Wyn Jones
Gareth Wyn Jones
2 years ago

Let’s form an alliance to get them out in the next election

David
David
2 years ago

and have INDEPENDENCE.

hdavies15
hdavies15
2 years ago

Alliance with ……? Vote Labour in and all you get is a slightly different tint of Unionism. No real change despite any amount of wishing and hoping.

R W
R W
2 years ago
Reply to  hdavies15

Quite so.

Last edited 2 years ago by R W
Robert Williams
Robert Williams
2 years ago

ABSOLUTELY!

R W
R W
2 years ago

Absolutely, if Welsh Labour finally commit to independence there is no reason as to why there shouldn’t be an alliance.

hdavies15
hdavies15
2 years ago

Shucks, I am soooo surprised !!

Ap Kenneth
Ap Kenneth
2 years ago

Levelling up seems to be very middle class projects, two are canals and two are theatres! Not that they are not very worthy but it hardly impacts the majority.

Gaynor
Gaynor
2 years ago
Reply to  Ap Kenneth

Tourism

Y Cymro
Y Cymro
2 years ago

This typifies the Conservative attitude towards Wales ,& devolution. The English establishment rule Wales with impunity. We can do what we like and you are powerless to act, they arrogantly say laughing. The Tories falsely accused the EU & Brussels of being unelected faceless bureaucrats who stole Britain’s power and sovereignty. But it was a total fabrication. It’s Whitehall who are the real dictator, not the EU. And it’s they who are stealing Wales powers and Welsh sovereignty by interfering, overruling and overriding Senedd competency. The Conservatives are a joke, and when you are ruled by an idocracy in foreign… Read more »

Last edited 2 years ago by Y Cymro
Graham Price
Graham Price
2 years ago
Reply to  Y Cymro

Excellent analysis…couldn’t agree more.

Notta Bott
Notta Bott
2 years ago

This is one of the many things that will be their downfall

Barry Pandy
Barry Pandy
2 years ago

The Americans have a phrase for this: pork barrel politics. It’s corruption and nothing more.

Perhaps the amount these councils get from the Senedd in the form of the block grants should be REDUCED by the amount they get from the corrupt Tories. That way the quislings would have nothing to gain.

Paul
Paul
2 years ago

I feel genuinely unclean sharing a nationality with the plastic welshy servile tories … They derive pride from selling out their own country … But In reality I do not share a nationality with them, and it is not their country. They are brought and paid for citizens of west englandshire.

Dim problem
Dim problem
2 years ago
Reply to  Paul

A despicable attitude on display here. Utter contempt for your fellow countrymen because they don’t share your politics. Wales has no need of your hatred, or your politics of division.

Richard
Richard
2 years ago

A Tory friend of mine told me that this list – just offsets the reverse bias from Cardiff Bay ! Well anyway most of these items from both will benefit us all 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿…….men undeb mae nerth – One Wales.

Moses Wyn
Moses Wyn
2 years ago

Despicable!But Please correct article as 6+3+2=11

Sam
Sam
2 years ago

Massive lie about Theatr Brycheiniog getting £6.9 million. It’s getting £2 million, research the whole story because lying makes you no better than them. Powys gets left behind by the WG because they think we’re all minted. Well we’re not, we’ve got food banks and poverty like every other county. The £2 million could be better spent elsewhere, like youth services for a start! Largest single county in Wales yet gets ignored, that’s why most of the farmers vote for #ToryLiars. I’m outnumbered by morons at almost every election!

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