Last month saw the announcement of the successful bids for the Levelling Up Fund. Wrexham Council submitted two bids for the Levelling Up Fund. The first, £13.3 million for the Trevor Basin, Llangollen and Corwen Bid, and the second for the Wrexham Gateway Bid. Given that Wrexham Council chose to submit two bids, it is not unreasonable that only one was successful. It is important to note that in the past few years, with the help of the UK Government, Wrexham has been awarded Platinum City status, was runner-up in the 2025 City of Culture and has been awarded £22.4 million from the Shared Prosperity Fund.
Of course, whilst it is disappointing that the Wrexham Gateway bid hasn’t been successful this time, I will continue to work with Wrexham Council, Glyndwr University, and Wrexham AFC to prepare for resubmission in the next round.
Moving onto the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, the UK Government has handed over £22.4 million from this fund that is meant to be spent in a way that bring opportunity, growth, and pride in Wrexham. The UKSPF replaces funding from the EU, and thanks to Brexit, this money now goes straight to local councils to decide how it is spent, rather than to Cardiff to distribute. Wrexham Council intends to spend some of this money in the form of grants and this means that individuals, businesses, and charities can apply for up to £250,000 worth of funding. Wrexham Council confirmed that the application submission window for round one would be open from the 30th of January to the 17th of February. However, if any changes occur, Wrexham residents can stay informed via my website as the UKSPF section is regularly updated. If you have not already applied, the draft application, guidance, and more information can be found on my website.
In other local news, it was great to visit Wrexham Glyndwr University last month to see some of the fantastic work that the Student Union team is doing to help students deal with the rising cost of living. The Student Union has created the ‘Help Yourshelf’ campaign which aims to support students in need by providing the following items: toiletries, personal items, stationary, non-perishable food, and sanitary products to promote period dignity. During the visit, I was extremely pleased to bring some donations and if you find yourself in need of any of these items, just pop along to the Students Union Building and Help Yourshelf! No referrals are needed. In addition to this, advisers at the Student Union are offering advice and support to students looking to apply for financial hardship funding. For more information, head over to my website and look under the ‘news’ section.
As always, if you are a resident in Wrexham and need my assistance with any local or national issues, please contact me by emailing sarah.atherton.mp@parliament.uk.