Bridgend independents raise questions about how funds are allocated

By Lewis Smith

4 minutes read

Bridgend County Borough Council's Civic Offices on Angel Street in Bridgend. Photo: BCBC, — | Bridgend County Borough Council's Civic Offices. Photo: BCBC,

THE cabinet of Bridgend County Borough Council (BCBC) has claimed that everything is above board when it comes to its recently approved community infrastructure fund (CIF) after concerns were raised over the way cash had been allocated.

The scheme, worth a total of £1.5m, was first approved by the local authority earlier this year in order to help develop leisure and community facilities across the county borough.

It came after a report which said the demand for grants for projects had been high with existing schemes such as the UK Government’s pride in place impact fund (PIPIF) being oversubscribed.

The community infrastructure fund is expected to work alongside existing schemes, offering “greater flexibility” for the local authority as it is funded from their own capital budget.

The report said: “To respond to the demand for investment in these valuable community projects, the leader of the council requested that a capital sum of £1.5m be made available from BCBC to complement the UK Government PIPIF programme and be named the community infrastructure fund (CIF). This allocation was approved by council in the updated capital programme on July 22, 2026.”

The CIF will support two schemes with funding of £640,000 for new skate parks in Bryntirion and Cornelly – as well as £230,000 for the redevelopment of the North Pavilion on Newbridge Fields.

Others include funding of £150,000 for Bridgend Ravens RFC to go towards the replacement of a grass pitch with a 3G surface, and £150,000 to Penybont Football Club towards improved access arrangements and car parking.

However, the decision to approve funding for these projects was called in by members of the Bridgend County Independent Group, who said while they supported setting up the fund, they had concerns over the way it had been allocated.

Cllr Freya Bletsoe said the issues focused on whether or not the fund was sufficiently documented, along with as a desire to understand what criteria was used to select the projects and whether it was applied consistently.

As part of the call-in process the leader of the Bridgend County Independents, Cllr Amanda Williams, said there had also been discrepancies between the projects discussed at an un-minuted leaders’ meeting, with reports suggesting she had agreed to a project she knew nothing about.

Cllr Williams said: “As leader of Bridgend County Independents, I have concerns about whether the proposed allocations accurately reflect those discussions.

“Nantymoel Rugby Club’s outstanding changing-room requirements were raised during the discussions, and I was assured that funding for the works would be included in the cabinet proposals.

“However, the published report did not include the anticipated allocation for the outstanding works at Nantymoel Rugby Club. Conversely, the report includes an allocation of £230,000 for the redevelopment of Newbridge Fields North Pavilion.

“This proposal was not discussed with me during the meetings with group leaders and yet the report suggests that I had agreed to all the projects including this one.”

In response the council’s leader John Spanswick said his intent was to be open and transparent, dismissing the idea that any “underhand dealings” had gone on behind the scenes, with all governance work being carried out by officers.

He acknowledged that the Newbridge playing fields project had not been discussed with Cllr Amanda Williams and that the cabinet report should have been worded differently. He said that talks with group leaders were only to bring ideas to the table and did not guarantee them being selected.

He added that after the fund was approved by council in July 2026, there was no requirement for the cabinet to consult with other members on how it would be spent, though they had done so in order to be transparent and fair with all parties.

This came after a separate announcement from Cllr Spanswick that an additional £200,000 would added to the council’s capital budget for essential improvements to the sports pavilion at Nant y Moel rugby club at the next opportunity.

Addressing the chamber he said: “I’m 100% clear in my mind there’s nothing underhand gone on here, we’re just trying to find the right money from the right places to support communities and sporting groups around the county borough.”

Cllr Colin Davies said he welcomed the call-in and the opportunity to highlight where the money was going, with the majority of projects selected from applications that had not been successful with the pride in place fund.

Following lengthy talks, members of the committee accepted the position of cabinet members with an agreement for discussions to be better documented in the future. They decided unanimously not to refer the decision back to another cabinet meeting, meaning funding for the approved projects will go ahead as planned.

The full list of projects for Bridgend County Borough Council’s Community Infrastructure Fund can be seen below:

New and replacement skate park projects in Bryntirion and Cornelly (£640,000).

Improvements to Coity Community Centre (£150,000).

Green infrastructure and landscaping to Maesteg market square (£40,000).

Newbridge Fields North Pavilion redevelopment (£230,000).

Bridgend Ravens RFC pitch renovation (£150,000).

Improved access arrangements at Penybont Football Club (£150,000).

St Brides Minor and Ynysawdre Community Activity Scheme (£40,000).

Supplementary funding for smaller county-wide Pride in Place proposals, with grants worth up to £10,000 (£100,000).

By Lewis Smith, Local Democracy Reporter

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