Monmouthshire’s bid for a share of the Levelling up Fund, administered by the Westminster Government, was not successful.  In view of this decision, can the Leader make a statement regarding the effect on the economy of Caldicot and Severnside and what plans he will have in respect of the future of Caldicot Town and the Caldicot Leisure Centre.

Monmouthshire’s bid for a share of the Levelling up Fund, administered by the Westminster Government, was not successful. In view of this decision, can the Leader make a statement regarding the effect on the economy of Caldicot and Severnside and what plans he will have in respect of the future of Caldicot Town and the Caldicot Leisure Centre.

The Leader of the Council thanked County Councillor Easson for his question and appreciated the sentiment behind it.  He went on to explain that the administration was disappointed at the decision not to approve the bid to level up Caldicot.  The bid was for £14m and had 3 components: 1, new leisure centre; 2, regeneration of the town centre; 3, better active travel links from Caldicot to Severn Tunnel Junction.  He expressed gratitude to officer for the fast pace in developing the bids and those who supported the bids, including Jessica Morden MP who had been a great champion of the Caldicot bid.  He explained that everything possible had been done to lobby for the two bids.  It was recognised that Monmouthshire is not amongst the most deprived local authorities in Wales but that did not diminish the determination to fight for funding.  16 out of 22 Councils in Wales were not awarded funding.  The Leader assured Council that he remains determined to bid in the next round and will be meeting with senior government ministers in the coming weeks to secure feedback on the bids.  Consideration will be given on how to improve them and how to achieve the best chance to secure funding in the next round of bidding.

We heard that we had been successfully awarded all nine of our bids to the UK Government’s Community Renewal Fund, totalling over £2m.  These bids would benefit Caldicot in a number of ways.  £80,000 has been secured for Caldicot Community Partnership.  Nearly £500,000 has been awarded to invest in Mon Life assets which includes Caldicot Castle.  Our carbon-free future scheme was awarded £134,000, which will allow investigation of the housing stock across the County to improve energy efficiency.

Not winning the Caldicot was a set back but the Leader assured that new bids would be refined to maximise our chances of securing funding in the next round.

As a supplementary County Councillor asked if the Leader agreed that losing the bid would set Caldicot back 10 years in terms of the town centre, and if he considered biding next year would prove successful.  He asked if it was time to look into a borrowing position where the process could be started on the basis we would have a positive answer next year.

In response the Leader agreed that the support for the bid was a cross-party project but disagreed that the Caldicot would be set back 10 years.  It was recognised the need to make necessary investments in our leisure centre and town centre, making it a more attractive place for people to shop and support local businesses.  He considered the UK Government’s levelling up fund the ideal partnership to do that and recognised that we need to ensure we are in the best possible place to submit a strong bid.