MORE than £2.8 million will be available for the development of a care home in a Monmouthshire village during the next financial year, despite concerns that the sum needed to be spent by the end of March.

Monmouthshire County Council has been given more time to spend the integrated care fund money on its new Portskewett care home.

The Crick Road development in the village had been allocated more than £4m from the integrated care fund, having so far spent £1.2m.

Comprising the development of 271 homes and a new care home, this is a project between the county council and Melin Homes.

The care home will be managed by the council, and the homes will be built and funded by Melin Homes.

The £2.8m from the integrated care fund will apply only to the care home part of the development.

Cllr Paul Pavia had expressed concerns in a council scrutiny committee in January last year that if “a proportion of the project is not delivered in the next financial year, then we lose a huge amount of money”.

A Monmouthshire council spokesman said: “To date, the project has accessed £1,030,871 of this allocation to enable land purchase and associated costs in project development, with a further £161,968 being utilised whilst undertaking final preparations for construction to commence in 2021/22.

“The constraints upon the delivery of the project during the pandemic have brought about additional governance arrangements to secure the funding for the specific purpose of the Crick Road care home.

“In this regard, £2,872,861 will be available for the construction phase of the initiative commencing in 2021/22.”