The funding, equivalent to around £100 for every resident in the county over ten years, is part of a £214 million investment across Wales aimed at supporting local communities, high streets and regeneration projects.
Local MP welcomes investment
Dame Nia Griffith, MP for Llanelli, said the £20 million Pride of Place funding would make a lasting difference for Carmarthenshire communities.
“I promised at the last election to continue fighting to secure investment into our local communities and I am proud to have been able to deliver. This £20 million of new funding will change lives over the next decade and be spent where local people need it most.”
She said the scheme had been designed to give residents a direct say in how the money is used.
“Local people know their area better than anyone else and that is why the UK Labour Government has decided to do this differently. This is our chance to improve our towns and villages here by making the big decisions for ourselves.”
£2m a year for ten years
Carmarthenshire is set to receive around £2 million a year for the next decade. Griffith described it as a “massive investment” with wide flexibility.
“Getting an extra £2 million a year, for ten years, is a massive investment in Carmarthenshire. We can choose to spend it on a wide range of different things and all ideas are welcome. Decisions about how it is used will come from local people with every penny needing to be invested wisely, fairly and transparently.”
In addition to the Pride of Place programme, Carmarthenshire County Council will also receive £1.5 million in capital funding to improve public spaces. The money is expected to go towards upgrading facilities such as broken bus shelters, litter bins and run-down community areas.
Labour: “real money for real communities”
Cllr Deryk Cundy, leader of the Labour opposition group on Carmarthenshire County Council, said the programme offered a clear opportunity to boost local areas.
“This is fair and transparent — real money for real communities. Funding that can revitalise high streets, improve local facilities, and support both rural villages and town centres,” he said.
He argued that Plaid Cymru council leaders had responded negatively to the announcement.
“Instead of welcoming help for Welsh people, Plaid prefer to complain. After more than a decade in charge of Carmarthenshire, Plaid Cymru seem quicker to complain than to deliver.”
How the scheme will work
Under the scheme, Plaid-led council leader Darren Price and his administration will propose which parts of Carmarthenshire become designated investment zones, with final approval resting with the UK Government.
Cllr Cundy said this would give Plaid the power to decide whether deprived villages, town centres or rural communities are prioritised.
“If impoverished rural areas are left behind, that will be the result of Plaid’s choices locally — not Labour’s investment nationally.”
Fairness, not division
Cundy pledged that Labour would pursue what he called “fairness, not division.”
“Whether urban or rural, valley or coastal, village or town, every community deserves its share,” he said.
He blamed “14 years of Conservative austerity that starved communities of resources” for run-down areas, but insisted the Pride of Place funding could now help deliver improvements.
Cllr Cundy added:
“Labour’s priority is simple: uniting Wales through investment, not playing politics with people’s futures. You can’t spend a grievance in the corner shop — but you can spend £2 million a year improving Carmarthenshire.”
Wider context
Last month, the UK Government announced an additional £214 million for Wales under the Pride of Place programme. Local authorities will nominate communities for investment, with the aim of backing projects that strengthen and regenerate local areas.
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