War of words erupts over £10m theatre funding U-turn

Richard Evans, local democracy reporter

A war of words erupted between Aberconwy’s Conservative MS and Labour MP after blame was laid at the new government’s door for pulling £10m of funding promised to Venue Cymru.

Meanwhile, it seems controversial council plans to move Llandudno Library from Mostyn Street to Venue Cymru could now be placed on hold, at least until alternative funding is found to replace the levelling-up money.

Venue Cymru was awarded £10m as part of the UK Government’s Levelling-Up Fund last year, which would have been spent on the Llandudno theatre.

Conservative government

The money was promised when the UK’s then-Conservative government announced it had set aside £100m for Levelling-Up culture projects.

But that was before the July election and Labour coming into power.

Whilst Conwy said earlier today (Wednesday) the £10m had now been ‘withdrawn’, a glimmer of hope remains that the decision could be reversed.

But even with the UK Government still finalising decisions, leader Cllr Charlie McCoubrey admitted this was unlikely in a meeting earlier this week when he said: “The tone was not terribly positive.”

‘Shabby’

Whilst discussing the situation earlier this week, Conwy councillors and officers described Venue Cymru as ‘shabby’ and ‘sad’.

Speaking on behalf of the UK Government today (Wednesday), a Ministry for Housing, Communities, and Local Government spokesman said: “This government inherited £22 billion of unfunded spending commitments, and we have therefore been forced to make difficult decisions to review previously announced projects.

“We are currently in the process of consulting with potential funding recipients to understand the impacts withdrawing this money would have, before a final decision is made.”

A spokeswoman for Conwy County Council also indicated that the relocation of Llandudno Library on Mostyn Street to the theatre on the seafront might now be on hold.

“The relocation of Llandudno Library was part of a vision to create a culture hub and to bring services and cultural organisations together in order to deliver a vibrant space for customers and professionals alike,” she said.

“This was included in the £10 million culture project funding offered to Venue Cymru by the previous UK Government.”

She added: “We are waiting to hear the outcome of the current UK Government consultation as to whether the money will be available at this time. We continue to talk to other funders to assist with our ambitions to safeguard and improve our services.”

Campaign

A campaign was launched in the town to stop the relocation – with fears about the impact of taking footfall away from the high street.

Aberconwy MS Janet Finch-Saunders – who was part of the campaign to stop the library relocation – has taken aim at the new Labour Government over the withdrawal of funding. She said: “This is very disappointing news. The money was promised by the UK Conservative Government, and now the UK Labour Government seem set to take it away. I don’t recall any local or national Labour manifesto stating that they would be stopping the millions of pounds of funding to one of the premier theatres in Wales.

“Should the UK Labour Government confirm that they are not sending the money, a detailed explanation needs to be provided as to why. For example, has the project been scrapped because of the potential additional costs that could arise because of the terrible intention to move the library from Mostyn Street and the Tourist Information Centre from the Victoria Centre?”

But Bangor Aberconwy MP Claire Hughes blamed the previous Conservative government for the situation, claiming the Tories promised money that wasn’t available.

“The extremely challenging fiscal environment that this government inherited means that difficult choices had to be made across the board,” she said.

“That said, it is extremely regrettable that local people had their hopes raised by a Conservative government that made empty promises to communities like ours – knowing full well that the money wasn’t there.

“Whether it’s non-existent funding for electrification of the North Wales mainline or Levelling-Up culture projects, people have had enough of this kind of politics. That message was heard loud and clear at the General Election last year and why we no longer have any Conservative MPs representing Wales.”

She added: “In the case of the Venue Cymru project, a key part of this funding was to enable Llandudno Library to be moved to Venue Cymru, something which the Conservative AM for Aberconwy, Janet Finch Saunders MS, was very vocal in opposing. It would be rather surprising therefore if she would suddenly be in favour of the project going ahead given her campaign against it.

“While no final decision has been made on this particular project by the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government, I am pleased to hear that the Welsh Government is looking at alternative sources of funding to support Venue Cymru. It’s a fantastic local amenity, and the hard-working staff, volunteers, and indeed local community all deserve better than being used for political opportunism.”