Councillors approve £1m boost for businesses in town centre
SENIOR councillors in Caerphilly have approved a £1m boost to town centre businesses.
The Community Enterprise Fund – not be confused with the similarly named Community Empowerment Fund – will support new and established businesses with money available for websites, marketing, and business plans.
Caerphilly town centre is also set to see an additional £75,000 for “cleansing”, which means more bins, weed control and benches.
Councillor Jamie Pritchard, deputy leader of the council, said cleaning up the town centre was an issue “frequently raised by residents”.
Caerphilly County Borough Council’s cabinet approved the spending as part of a wider £4.1m at a meeting on Wednesday, June 29.
The money should be coming from the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund (SPF) which is part of its “levelling-up” agenda.
However, if the UK Government turns down the council’s bid, the cabinet has agreed to cover the cost from council reserves.
Projects included in the £4.1m plans include increasing security in areas targeted by fly-tipping; improving anti-social behaviour prevention measures and expanding the events programme in Caerphilly county borough.
The cost-of-living crisis fund will also see £250,000 worth of investment to support food banks, encourage uptake of energy efficiency measures, and tackle fuel poverty.
Leader of the council, Sean Morgan, said his new administration was showing its “intentions” with the funding.
He said: “These programmes are going to make a significant and positive impact to our residents.”
Caerphilly county borough has been allocated more than £28 million from the SPF, which will need to be spent before March 2025.
An additional £5.9m is also being provided for the adult numeracy scheme, Multiply.
Investment bids have to be presented to and approved by the UK Government before the money can be spent.