Wales has been allocated £100m from a new Ƶ Government funding intiative to support left behind towns to create more secure and vibrant neighhourhoods. Barry, Wrexham, Rhyl, Cwmbran and Merthyr will each received £20m over a ten-year period, as part of the Ƶ-wide £1.5bn Plans for Neighbourhoods scheme that was announced in last autumn’s Budget by Chancellor Rachel Reeves.
In all 75 locations across Ƶ will receive funding for projects including those aiming to revive high streets, supporting community hubs, new employment creation and tackling local issues such as crime.
The funding though delivers on the previous the Conservative administration’s promised Long-Term Plan for Towns initiative which was revealed by then Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at his party’s annual conference in Manchester in 2023.
Areas were chosen after considering a range of factors including rates of deprivation and healthy life expectancy.
Boards will be set up in each location which will be able to select options from repairs to pavements and high streets, to setting up low-cost community retail co-operatives to neighbourhood watches.
The Westminster government said it will work with the Welsh Government to ensure the Plan for Neighbourhoods align with the Cardiff Bay administration’s existing work and policies on regeneration and local economic growth.
Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Angela Rayner said:“For years, too many neighbourhoods have been starved of investment, despite their potential to thrive and grow. Communities across the Ƶ have so much to offer – rich cultural capital, unique heritage but most of all, an understanding of their own neighbourhood.
“We will do things differently, our fully funded Plan for Neighbourhoods puts local people in the driving seat of their potential, having control of where the Whitehall cash goes – what issues they want to tackle, where they want to regenerate and what growth they want turbocharge.”
Secretary of State for Wales Jo Stevens said: “The Ƶ Government’s Plan for Neighbourhoods is fantastic news for Wales, providing £100m to boost growth by investing in high streets, parks, cultural venues, youth clubs and more. We are working with the Welsh Government to help local people from Rhyl to Merthyr Tydfil transform their communities.
“Our Plan for Change sets out how we want to the grow the economy, create jobs and put more money in people’s pockets. Targeted local funding is a vital part of our economic growth mission and will support the fantastic work the Welsh Government are already doing to regenerate communities across Wales.”
Investment from the funding is expected to commence next year. Ministers have will also published a list of regeneration powers which communities will be encouraged to use, like the power to save pubs by listing them as community assets, and the use of respect orders to tackle repeat offenders.
