It was an early start for Chris Evans, Member of Parliament for Caerphilly, this morning as he went to meet with the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, at 10 Downing Street to discuss today’s announcement that Caerphilly will receive £21.5 million from the new Pride in Place Programme and Impact Fund.
Mr Evans discussed with the Prime Minister how local communities in Caerphilly must benefit from this funding, and he received the Prime Minister’s assurance that, crucially, the people of Caerphilly will decide how it is spent.
The funding announced today can be used to regenerate town centres, high streets, and community facilities over the next decade. This can include protecting and improving vital public services like libraries, community centres, and green spaces.
The newly announced Pride in Place funding is in addition to the more than £11 million funding invested into Caerphilly through the Shared Prosperity Fund this year, and a £278,000 investment from the Welsh Government’s Tidy Towns Fund.
Mr Evans said, “As MP for Caerphilly, I will always stand up for our area. I am very pleased that the UK Government has agreed to invest £21.5 million in Caerphilly as part of the Pride in Place programme and impact fund.
“The best thing about this fund is that the Prime Minister has assured me that people in all areas of Caerphilly will play a key part in suggesting and deciding how to spend it, not people far away in London or elsewhere. This is not the usual announcement of new money that sounds impressive, but people never hear about again.
“The message I took to the Prime Minister is people across Caerphilly know Caerphilly best, and what our towns and communities need to become even better places to live, work, and visit. I am excited to see what projects our communities come up with, and I look forward to sharing more details soon about how people can get involved.”
