Modern multi-storey car parking at Hillsboro Place, a luxury waterfront hotel, landscaping and pedestrianisation along the Eastern Promenade, improved public transport, the extension of Dock Street and new community spaces, are just some of the proposals that feature in Bridgend County Borough Council’s new ‘placemaking’ consultation.

Organised in line with the Placemaking Wales Charter, the consultation is inviting businesses and residents in Porthcawl to give their views on the proposals either online, or by visiting drop-in sessions where they will be able to view exhibition boards and speak to regeneration officers.

The drop-in sessions will take place at the Grand Pavilion between 9am-5pm on Wednesday 24 November, and 9am-8pm on Thursday 25 November.

Following this, the exhibition boards will be placed on hoardings at Cosy Corner for three weeks, and the Council’s website will feature more details and a short survey to enable people to provide further feedback.

We remain extremely ambitious for these plans, and want them to deliver realistic, sustainable regeneration in Porthcawl.

I hope that Members will help to promote this important consultation and also encourage people to take part and have their say.

UK Government has confirmed which projects have been approved to receive funding from the new Community Renewal Fund in Bridgend County Borough.

This is the precursor to the Shared Prosperity Fund, which will be launched next year as a replacement for EU structural grant funding.

A total of £46m has been allocated to projects across Wales, and Bridgend County Borough will receive £785,000 of this.

£213,000 will go to Enterprise Bridgend, an initiative which helps people who have been furloughed or who may be economically inactive to find new employment.

£200,000 has been allocated to The Life You Want, which supports people who want to develop and improve their skills or undertake new training in order to gain new work and improve their lives.

Transforming Young Minds for Tomorrow will receive £86,800 to encourage more pupils to consider careers in manufacturing and engineering, while Bridgend Elevate and Prosper will benefit from £125,000 to support new business start-ups.

The Incubator for Ambitious Entrepreneurs programme is aimed at helping female entrepreneurs to develop trusted business networks and will receive £92,700.

A further £56,700 has been allocated to Connecting Teachers with Industry, which enables local teachers to encourage pupils who want careers in creative, digital, environment and advanced materials and manufacturing sectors.

Bridgend will also benefit from a further bid submitted by Torfaen Council on behalf of the 10 local authorities working together through the Cardiff Capital Region – a Connect, Engage, Listen, Transform project, designed to add further value to the council’s existing Employability Bridgend programme.

These are all very worth-while projects that will have a positive impact upon the lives of local people and I welcome investment from UK Government towards these.

However, it remains a matter of serious concern that Bridgend County Borough has not been included within the top 100 priority places marked for support through the forthcoming Shared Prosperity Fund.

We have been recognised as having some of the poorest communities in Wales, and I find myself once more calling upon UK Government to reconsider its decision.