Bridgend missed out on the first wave of “Levelling Up” funds announced by the UK Government as a replacement for EU regional development funding following Brexit. However, the are working on bids for future rounds, due to be discussed by BCBC’s Cabinet next week.
How it works
The funding is provided directly by the UK Government to local authorities with no involvement from the Welsh Government (unlike previous EU schemes).
The rules also state that projects usually (but not strictly) have to be backed by an MP – in our case Jamie Wallis MP (Con, Bridgend) and Chris Elmore MP (Lab, Ogmore) – and MPs can only back a bid for one project at a time with a maximum value of £20million.
Each local authority can also make a single bid for a strategic transport-related project (potentially worth up to £50million), meaning Bridgend county can have three bids in total.
Each application is reviewed on merit, meaning all parts of the UK compete directly with each other for funding.
There are some things that appear to be better than previous EU schemes and some elements that ought to be closely watched.
In terms of the good features, the rules are easier to understand, there doesn’t appear to be a strict requirement for the council to match-fund the projects (though they’d probably be expected to contribute something towards them) and the decision making process seems to be quicker and, on paper, less bureaucratic.
Amongst the things that ought to be ringing alarm bells are the fact this is far less generous and more poorly targeted than EU programmes (Wales will certainly miss out on large sums of money because of this). The first round of decisions are “odd” as there doesn’t appear to be any clear objective for the funding. The way it works potentially leaves it open to bent practices as there appear to be fewer controls and conditions too – perfect for the UK Parliament and Government.
The three projects shortlisted by Bridgend Council are (pdf):
Bridgend Constituency Project: Porthcawl Pavilion Redevelopment
The project has been in development since 2016 in collaboration with Awen Cultural Trust. It would address concerns about the state of concrete used in the building fabric, but also include some new features.
These new features include new function rooms, a rooftop function space, studio theatre and business/office space. The funding requirements are said to be significant with a bid for Heritage Lottery Funding also possible, but it’s considered to be a “flagship legacy project” and something that ties in closely to Porthcawl’s regeneration.
Ogmore Constituency Project: Bridgend Enterprise Project
This scheme would see targeted investment in new projects to address the shortfall in higher quality offices and business premises in Bridgend county. The focus would be on new business start-ups, improving access to new markets and ensuring more businesses survive the early years of trading. Most of this will be aimed at the Llynfi, Garw and Ogmore valleys.
Strategic Transport Project: Pencoed level crossing closure & Penprysg Road bridge replacement
You all know about this because I posted an update yesterday. It’s reached the public consultation stage. It’s the only project with any sort of price tag – up to £17million.
