Bridgend council's cabinet has defended its recently approved £1.5m community infrastructure fund (CIF) after concerns were raised over the way cash was allocated to projects.
The scheme, first approved by the local authority earlier this year, aims to help develop leisure and community facilities across the county borough. It follows a report which said 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 its own capital budget.
Funding allocation and projects
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 compliment the UK Government PIPIF programme and be named the community infrastructure fund (CIF)."
It added: "This allocation was approved by council in the updated capital programme on July 22, 2026. This CIF fund, once established, could provide the much-needed financial support for several valuable and deliverable community projects."
The fund will support schemes including £640,000 for two new skate parks in Bryntirion and Cornelly, and £230,000 for the redevelopment of the North Pavilion on Newbridge Fields. Other allocations include £150,000 for Bridgend Ravens RFC towards replacing a grass pitch with a 3G surface, and £150,000 for Penybont Football Club towards improved access arrangements and car parking.
Call-in over allocation concerns
The decision to approve funding was called in by members of the Bridgend County Independent Group, who said they supported setting up the fund but had concerns over how it was allocated. Councillor Freya Bletsoe said issues focused on whether the fund was sufficiently documented, along with a desire to understand what criteria was used to select projects and whether it was applied consistently.
As part of the call-in process, leader of the Bridgend County Independents, councillor Amanda Williams, said there had been discrepancies between 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 and had a live formal complaint regarding the same."
She added: "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."
Council response and outcome
In response, council 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 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, though he highlighted 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 to be transparent and fair with all parties.
This came after a separate announcement from Cllr Spanswick that an additional £200,000 would be 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."
Councillor 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 includes:
- 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)
