Wrexham to get £20m over next ten years as part of UK Government ‘levelling up’

Wrexham, along with three Welsh towns, have been named by the Prime Minister as part of £1.1 billion levelling up investment being provided to 55 towns across the UK.

Wrexham, Merthyr Tydfil, Cwmbran and Barry will each receive £20 million from the UK Government as part of a “long-term investment plan for towns that have been overlooked and taken for granted”.

The money will be provided directly by the UK Government to the council. UK Government say “local people will be put in charge, and given the tools to change their town’s long-term future” via the ‘ten-year endowment-style fund’ with a ‘Town Board’ set up to ‘bring together community leaders, employers and local authorities to deliver the Long-Term Plan for their town and put it to local people for consultation’.

Speaking about Wrexham and the other 50 odd towns and cities, UK Government explained, “More than half the UK population live in towns, but half-empty high streets, run-down town centres and anti-social behaviour undermine towns in every part of the UK. Today’s announcement marks a change in approach that will put an end to people feeling like their town is ignored and empower communities to take back control of their future, taking long term decisions in the interests of local people.”

Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, said: “Towns are the place most of us call home and where most of us go to work. But politicians have always taken towns for granted and focused on cities.

“The result is the half-empty high streets, run-down shopping centres and anti-social behaviour that undermine many towns’ prosperity and hold back people’s opportunity – and without a new approach, these problems will only get worse.

“That changes today. Our Long-Term Plan for Towns puts funding in the hands of local people themselves to invest in line with their priorities, over the long-term. That is how we level up.”

Levelling Up Secretary, Michael Gove said: “We know that in our towns the values of hard work and solidarity, common sense and common purpose, endeavour and quiet patriotism have endured across generations. But for too long, too many of our great British towns have been overlooked and undervalued.

“We are putting this right through our Long-Term Plan for Towns backed by over £1bn of levelling up funding.

“This will empower communities in every part of the UK to take back control of their future, taking long term decisions in the interests of local people. It will mean more jobs, more opportunities and a brighter future for our towns and the people who live and work in them.”

Welsh Secretary David TC Davies said: “Merthyr Tydfil, Cwmbran, Wrexham and Barry are all fantastic places and will hugely benefit from this significant investment in their future.

“We are proud to be supporting people to take control of their local areas. Levelling up is at the centre of the UK Government’s ambitions and communities across Wales will be transformed over the coming years with the investment we are making in them.”

There is more detail on the “Our Long-Term Plan for Towns” page, that details how the funds will likely be administered at a local level – with a range of familiar faces no doubt stepping forward locally.

Wrexham and the other locations have been allocated funding according to the ‘Levelling Up Needs Index’ which takes into account metrics covering skills, pay, productivity and health, as well as the Index of Multiple Deprivation – the UK Government say a methodology note will be published on how that is calculated.

Commenting on the UK Government’s Long-Term Plan for Towns, Welsh Conservative Shadow Minister for the Economy, Paul Davies MS said:”The Prime Minister is making the right decisions for the long-term and not focusing on the easy short term.

“Four towns across Wales will receive £80 million in total to plan for the next 10 years.

“We all have aspirations and ideas on how to make where we live better, this money will help those communities to do it.”