15 May 2008
The WLGA has today welcomed £3m of extra funding that will be available to local authorities over three years to deliver projects aimed at improving their local environment.
Steve Thomas, WLGA Chief Executive said:
“A poor quality local environment can have a major impact on how people see and feel about their local council. It can also impact on community vitality from crime and safety and regeneration to general good health and well-being. Councils are fully aware of this and are doing everything they can to improve the quality of life for local people by improving their local environments. Indeed, in March this year the local government national awards scheme Excellence Wales rewarded nearly half of Welsh councils for their approaches to tackling local environment issues and delivering improvements; from schemes and initiatives aimed at tackling climate change to major regeneration works that are providing sustainable transport provision, open spaces and better quality built environments.”
“However, the responsibility for improving local environments cannot fall on local councils alone. It needs to be tackled in partnership with other partners across the public and voluntary sector such as the Police, the Environment Agency and Keep Wales Tidy and most importantly with the communities themselves. Councils with their partners need to engender civic pride across their communities and encourage people to participate in waste management schemes and to take responsibility for their environment.”
“This extra funding will support councils to build on their existing improvements and invest further in the issues that matter most to their communities. We are pleased that the Welsh Assembly Government is also focussed on the same priorities. However, whilst today’s funding is welcome it needs to be viewed as a starter for gathering evidence over what is needed in the long term to build safe, sustainable and attractive communities across Wales. Like the improvements to our communities, Assembly Government funding also needs to be long term and sustainable.”
The three year funding was announced by Jane Davidson, Minister for Environment, sustainability and Housing.
Ends
Notes to Editors
Tidy Towns Local Authority Allocation
| Local Authority Grant Amount | £ |
| Isle of Anglesey | 87,806 |
| Gwynedd | 184,177 |
| Conwy | 104,071 |
| Denbighshire | 103,032 |
| Flintshire | 138,309 |
| Wrexham | 121,073 |
| Powys | 214,958 |
| Ceredigion | 104,313 |
| Pembrokeshire | 125,465 |
| Carmarthenshire | 195,840 |
| Swansea | 202,416 |
| Neath Port Talbot | 131,964 |
| Bridgend | 122,351 |
| The Vale of Glamorgan | 110,535 |
| Rhondda Cynon Taff | 210,192 |
| Merthyr Tydfil | 49,047 |
| Caerphilly | 153,235 |
| Blaenau Gwent | 61,103 |
| Torfaen | 79,817 |
| Monmouthshire | 87,278 |
| Newport | 124,522 |
| Cardiff | 288,496 |
Total 3,000,000
For more information contact: Natasha Weeks