Caerphilly County Borough is set receive £1.3m from the UK Government’s Community Renewal Fund, despite being excluded from a list of priority areas for the funding.
Four projects in the borough are set to benefit from the funding, which is a precursor to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which is set to be introduced next year to replace EU funding lost through Brexit.
What is the Community Renewal Fund?
The Community Renewal Fund is a new £220m package provided by the UK Government.
It is a precursor to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund – which will launch in 2022.
One hundred areas across the UK will benefit from the Community Renewal Fund – which will bypass Welsh Government and go straight to local councils.
Eleven council areas in Wales have been included s priority areas for the funding. These are: Blaenau Gwent, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Conwy, Isle of Anglesey, Merthyr Tydfil, Neath Port Talbot, Pembrokeshire, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Swansea and Torfaen.
While Caerphilly was excluded from the list of priority areas for the funding, the council was still able to bid for funding from the scheme.
Councils were invited to bid for funding from the scheme back in May this year.
Concerns have been raised however that because Caerphilly has not been made a priority area, it could miss out on the Shared Prosperity Fund, set to launch in 2022.
What is the UK Shared Prosperity Fund?
This fund will be launched in 2022, and is a replacement for European Commission development and social fund grants.
The UK will no longer receive European funding after 2023, following Britain’s exit from the European Union last year.
More than 160 projects across Wales are set to receive a share of £46m, the UK Government’s Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Michael Gove, announced this week.
Mr Gove said: “We are determined to unite and level up our whole United Kingdom.
“The projects we are supporting today, from Wrexham to Caerphilly, will help communities across Wales realise their full potential, create new opportunities for the future and help us achieve net zero carbon emissions.”
Earlier this year, Caerphilly County Borough Council invited bids for funding from the scheme, which it then forwarded to the UK Government.
The council said it was looking to prioritise bids “that have the greatest potential to deliver against key local priorities to help Caerphilly County Borough’s economy to recover as quickly as possible from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic”.
When the list of priority areas was released, Caerphilly’s Labour MP Wayne David strongly criticised Caerphilly County Borough’s exclusion. He invited UK Government minister Luke Hall to Bargoed in August, to see for himself why the area should be a priority.
But after the borough received £1.3m from the scheme, Mr David said: “I’m pleased that the needs of Caerphilly are no longer being ignored. The visit of the Tory minister clearly did some good and we have made progress.
“It’s now important to keep up the pressure to make sure that Caerphilly gets its share from the big fund which will replace the European money.”
What projects are being funded in Caerphilly?
Serco – Engaging Enterprise (£811,074)
The project is designed to support people considering self-employment, transform lives by delivering results-based learning linked to ground-breaking technology. A seven-week course will be delivered digitally to up to 780 participants. The project will concentrate on those with complex barriers, the over-50s and those within the gig economy.
Source: Caerphilly County Borough Council
Business in Focus – Enterprise Caerphilly (£217,389)
Tailored specifically for economically inactive/unemployed/furloughed individuals and delivered predominantly online, the project will support people into self-employment and will build skills and confidence. The project invests in digital, employability and entrepreneurial skills. It supports newly established micro-businesses and supplements mainstream provision, working closely with community partners.
Source: Caerphilly County Borough Council
Threshold DAS – The Life You Want (£204,300)
An online learning portal for people seeking to upskill or re-train. Offered as a “one-stop-shop” for those who are unemployed, employed, self-employed, those with disability. Elements include an online learning MOODLE Portal, delivery in a classroom setting, offering, training, job searches and qualifications and employability support plus some blended learning.
Source: Caerphilly County Borough Council
We Are Radikl – Women focused incubator for ambitious entrepreneurs (£94,605)
Focus on supporting women entrepreneurs in Caerphilly County Borough. They will deliver a three-month business incubator programme to two cohorts (20 women in each) who have their own micro-businesses. The programme will be blended online learning with personalised needs analysis, 12 modules and four live workshops.
Source: Caerphilly County Borough Council
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