Four local authorities in south west Wales celebrated an important milestone this week – reaching the £150 million mark in investment in joint projects.
Working together as the Regional Partnership Forum for South West Wales, the four councils – Carmarthenshire, Neath Port Talbot, Swansea and Pembrokeshire – are successfully delivering a range of collaborative projects funded by the EU’s Convergence programme through the Welsh Assembly Government.
Communities across the area are now benefitting from a wide range of schemes, which include those to help people find long-term employment and learn new skills; to help small businesses flourish despite the recession, and to help developers to continue with major regeneration projects.
The Partnership is currently delivering eight collaborative projects. They include:
* the South West Wales Property Development Fund which provides grant aid to developers across the region, providing them with ‘gap funding’ to encourage the development of high quality business premises that will help create new job opportunities for more than 600 people across south west Wales.
* the £8 million Local Investment Fund provides grants to local businesses, to enable businesses to expand or to encourage new businesses to start up.
* the COASTAL project which focuses its support towards helping individuals who are economically inactive as a result of physical or mental disability, by providing skills training, vocational and employment opportunities.
* the Workways project which will implement support measures to assist an individual’s transition from benefits into employment, providing help for economically inactive and long term unemployed people across south west Wales.
Councillor John Davies, Leader of Pembrokeshire County Council, said: “Quite extraordinary efforts have been made by the four south west local authorities to bring truly collaborative Convergence projects forward to address the Welsh Assembly Government‘s agenda.
“This work – enthusiastically led by the Welsh Local Government Association Regional Partnership Forum – has resulted in close working on a whole range of issues including social care, education and economic development.
“Today’s announcement shows that this effort is bearing fruit for communities, businesses and people across south west Wales. Our collaboration is continuing, but is increasingly focused on delivering these complex, challenging yet ultimately hugely rewarding initiatives.”
His Carmarthenshire counterpart, Councillor Meryl Gravell, said: “Working together has certainly paid off in south west Wales. We have reached a significant milestone by achieving a £150million investment from the Convergence Programme.
“The pooling of expertise between the four council areas enables the sharing of best practice across the region, and this joined up approach is ensuring that maximum impact is achieved from this round of European funding.
“We always look forward to working alongside colleagues in our neighbouring authorities to deliver these programmes, which are seeing huge benefits across the region.”
The EU’s Convergence Programme focuses on interventions that support sustainable growth and jobs, and provides the highest level of financial support awarded by the European Union.
