TREDEGAR is to receive £1 million regeneration funding as part of a Welsh Government scheme.

Carl Sargeant, minister for housing and regeneration, has announced that Tredegar will be one of seven areas to receive £1 million of Welsh Government funding to help with regeneration work. The additional funding comes from the Welsh Government’s Vibrant and Viable Places Tackling Poverty scheme and means seven local authorities will now share £7m over the next three years, £2m more than was announced by the minister last September. He said: “The Welsh Government is committed to tackling poverty and making a real difference to the lives of people across Wales. Regeneration continues to play a vital role to this end and I’m delighted to be able to announce this increase in funding.

“Each of the seven local authorities will receive £1 million each and I hope to see this used to contribute to the regeneration efforts in the area with the aim of creating jobs and training opportunities. We will now discuss with the local authorities concerned to decide the best way of meeting these objectives and ensuring that local communities get the maximum benefit from this funding.” The funding is for local authorities who were unsuccessful in bidding for a share of the Welsh Government’s £100m Vibrant and Viable Places funding but who whose proposed settlement areas were in the top 10 per cent of the Welsh Index for Multiple Deprivation. The authorities and settlements who will receive the funding are Rhymney in Caerphilly; Grangetown in Cardiff; Llanelli in Carmarthanshire; Rhyl in Denibighshire; Caernarfon in Gwynedd and Barry in the Vale of Glamorgan. Blaenau Gwent council said its regeneration team is working to choose a number of projects which will be within the guidelines for spending the cash. The minister specified that one specific outcome of the funding should be training and employment opportunities arising from housing construction or refurbishment, which will be included in the council’s plans. The council’s deputy leader, Steve Thomas, said: “We are always pleased to hear good news of funding for our towns and communities in Blaenau Gwent, so we welcome today’s announcement by the Welsh minister for regeneration and housing of £1million grant funding for Tredegar. Welfare reform, worklessness and economic growth remain high priorities for the council and so it is pleasing that this money, allocated through the vibrant and viable places tackling poverty fund, will be targeted at projects to tackle the associated issues.”