Wales allocated £111 million from UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund
Stephen Price
Seven projects have been allocated £111 million from the UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund to help create jobs, drive economic growth in historically overlooked areas in Wales.
A total of £27 million has been awarded to Neath Port Talbot after two successful bids, including £15 million to regenerate Port Talbot town centre with improvements to Civic Square, the refurbishment of Princess Royal Theatre and improvements to green space at Riverside.
A fund of £12 million has also been awarded to restore and reopen the historic Grade II listed Newbridge bridge to pedestrians and cyclists, whilst Newbridge Road and Riverside Road will also be upgraded.
£20 million has been awarded to the Barry Dock waterfront to create a public area with a new business centre and food and drink outlets, along with almost £18 million to encourage healthier ways of travel in Powys. This includes restoring footbridges and improving the National Cycle Network.
Further funding was awarded to Llanelli town centre for the renovation of derelict buildings, regeneration projects in Denbighshire, and improved public accessibility across Pembroke town.
Transformational change
Today’s announcement builds on previous Levelling Up investment into Wales through funds such as the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, Freeports and the Long-Term Plan for Towns.
The total figure awarded to Wales has now surpassed £1.2 billion in addition to other investments in local growth, such as £790 million of UK Government investment in City and Growth Deals in Wales.
Levelling up Secretary Michael Gove said: “Levelling Up means delivering local’s people’s priorities and bringing transformational change in communities that have, for too long, been overlooked and undervalued.”
He continued: “This funding sits alongside our wider initiatives to spread growth, through devolving more money and power out of Westminster to towns and cities, putting in place bespoke interventions to places that need it most, and our long-term plan for towns.”
Secretary of State for Wales David TC Davies said: “This is another hugely significant investment in transformative projects across Wales. From town centre regeneration to improving travel infrastructure, these schemes will have a positive impact for generations to come.”
He added: “The UK Government continues to invest in communities throughout Wales as we work towards our aims of growing the Welsh economy and levelling up the UK.”
A total of 21 projects in Wales received over £329 million in the first two rounds of the Levelling UP Fund. The UK Government has now exceeded the minimum 5% it originally ringfenced for Wales at the outset of the fund, with Wales receiving over 9% across the three rounds totalling £440 million overall for 28 projects.
The Chancellor also confirmed the Investment Zones programme in England will be extended from five to ten years and the window to claim Freeport tax reliefs in England will be extended from five to ten years until September 2031.
The UK Government says it will work with the Welsh Government with the intention of delivering the same extension to Investment Zones and Freeports in Wales.
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Freeports. Huh. Look who is behind them, then see how the Welsh Gov looks to have been strong armed into this.
cons are setting chums up gain and labour to fail.
https://bylines.cymru/politics-and-society/shanker-singham-north-wales-freeport/
Any sign of the £5billion stolen from Wales to find HS2?
I assume the proposed Electrification of the North Wales coast mainline, will be offset against the loss of HS2 monies
What about the money Neath Port Talbot put into an Icelandic banks did we ever get it back?
If Tory and Labour governments all this while were any good, there’d be no need for “Levelling up”. We wouldn’t be suffering this inequality. They should “own it” as they say.
‘Levelling up’ is the Tories’ longest drawn out and most elaborate lie. First floated as a catchphrase in 2019, it has involved 4 years of cash starvation to enable them to throw out an electoral bung in the final year. The cash ‘awarded’ (returned) will not amount to what has been robbed and won’t arrive in its’ quoted entirety either. An absolute scam!
Oh yes and there would be no need for levelling up if we hadn’t been unlevelled to begin with.
Bung or not to Bung, thst is the question
The amount of money for the schemes mentioned would imply that only 10 or a dozen such schemes will be given an award. Almost 50% has gone to South east Wales in these quoted schemes. So much gor levelling up!
As the largest percentage of population resides on the South Wales coastal belt, it’s perhaps understandable, as arguably it has a bigger impact
It would be interesting to see a list of every scheme submitted for levelling up funding, then cross referencing the list against the political affiliation of that locations MP to see who has influence
Doesn’t replace the lost EU money. We are still just about seeing the effects of good inveestment finishing up. Watch the future drought.
They will manage to waste it
You can get a lot of bulldozers for£27 million.
Save a fortune, no more parking wardens, no more civic centre. Cannot do anything about the town shopping centre as the town does not own it.