Council to pay £11.3m towards City Deal plan
BRIDGEND Council has accepted a five-year business plan on the Cardiff Capital Region City Deal, despite facing opposition from some councillors who fear only the capital will benefit.
The scheme, which is designed to “stimulate economic growth”, will see Bridgend Council contribute a total of £11.328m towards the project. The City Deal aims to create 25,000 jobs across the region and bring in £4bn of private sector investment by 2036.
Discussing the business plan at a full council meeting on Wednesday, March 28, council leader Huw David (Labour) said the benefits to the county would be widespread and include housing developments in the Valleys, more apprenticeships and graduate placements, faster internet access and better transport links.
He said: “We will benefit from the City Deal directly and, indirectly, from the prosperity of the whole region.”
However some councillors raised concerns that while there were 10 local authorities involved in the City Deal, it would be mainly Cardiff reaping the benefits. Councillor Cher- yl Green (Lib Dem) said she was “rather alarmed” at the large amounts of funding that were going to Cardiff, with £734m allocated to the South East Wales Metro project from an overall £1.2bn pot.
Councillor Roz Stirman (Independent) said: “Bridgend County Borough Council should do what it says on the tin, it should look after its constituents.” She added: “This seems like a highrisk strategy. Who’s to say that Bridgend will gain anything in benefits over the next few years?”
And Councillor Keith Edwards (Independent) said: “The metro will account for 60% of the £1.2bn – Cardiff is getting a new station, a new transport hub, and a bus depot. So well done Cardiff, but we need to be punching our weight as well. I have got concerns it is all going one way.”
The council’s corporate director for communities Mark Shepherd said the metro investment was “not all in Cardiff but scattered throughout the whole region” in such as places as Pontypridd, Ebbw Vale and the Valleys communities.
Most councillors welcomed the City Deal, with Carolyn Webster (Conservative) calling it a “fantastic collaboration” and saying she looked forward to the high-quality jobs and transport links.
And Councillor Matthew Voisey said Bridgend would benefit “greatly” from Cardiff doing well.
He said: “We need to be more regionally-focused than locally because the growth of the region will seep into all parts of that region such as education, housing, jobs, healthcare and infrastructure.”
The 10 local authorities signed up to the scheme have contributed a total of £120m to the funding, with both the UK and Welsh governments contributing £500m each and the European Regional Development Fund providing over £100m.
The first investment has seen a loan of £38.5m go to a compound semiconductor project in Newport which has the potential to generate 2,000 jobs.
Thirty-seven councillors voted in favour of accepting the business plan, with seven against and three abstentions.