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Cllr Jamie Pritchard is the deputy leader of Caerphilly County Borough Council. Part of his role is overseeing “prosperity and regeneration”. In this opinion piece for Caerphilly Observer he outlines why there are reasons to be optimistic about Caerphilly town’s future.

If we have a positive attitude about generating improvements in Caerphilly Town Centre then I think there’s every reason the town can improve in times ahead. At the time of writing, Caerphilly County Borough Council has just been successful in securing a £20 million pot of funding for a new state-of-the-art leisure centre in Caerphilly. We’ve worked around the clock and against tight deadlines to develop what will be a truly be first class, modern facility. As a Labour administration, we’re absolutely pushing the case for regeneration and long-term, positive investment. This is a vote of confidence in Caerphilly and something we have to exploit.

What would be the value in beating a town without offering anything constructive? We would never have secured £20m for a new leisure centre with this attitude. The average resident on the street wants their elected representatives to work positively for improvements in town centres, including Caerphilly. So, what do we have going well? We have many, but let’s just take the events programme and the way in which the business community has been more actively involved this year.

Food Festival – Phenomenal footfall. Far exceeding previous years.

Little Cheese – A big success. An event more in the town, leading to more benefits for businesses.

Winter Fair – Higher numbers than 2019 (Pre Covid). This tells its own story.

Okay, so these are events. What about the long-term? The events tell us Caerphilly is open for business. This is something that’s not lost on people, including me. The new Caerphilly Market on Park Lane is going through the planning process. Up to 28 new units available for trading. This is a public sector investment to create private sector opportunities. I’m extremely confident the new market will be a great success.

So, how about supporting the very smallest businesses? I have a great working relationship with Crafty Legs Events. They have been facilitating the very smallest of businesses with opportunities to trade. They have great opportunities for the future, and I will continue to support this.

So what about the bigger picture? Well, the Caerphilly 2035 programme offers a major chance for long – lasting change. A new hotel, railway station and improved town centre will not come about by itself, but by hard work, positive minds and determination.

As cabinet member for regeneration, I know there’s a long way to go, but the only way to achieve things is by positive action. There’s a sense of optimism in the air. We have to seize the moment.