The Levelling Up Fund is a UK Government fund. It is one part of the UK Government’s broader offer to level up opportunity across the whole of the UK. Its purpose is especially intended to support investment in places where it can make the biggest difference to everyday life, including ex-industrial areas, deprived towns and coastal communities. Up to £4.8 billion (until 2024-25) will potentially be available for the Fund across the UK, with at least £800 million invested in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Fund will focus on capital investment.
The Levelling Up Fund will invest in local infrastructure that has a visible impact on people and their communities. This includes a range of high value local investment priorities, including local transport schemes, urban regeneration projects and cultural assets. Members of Parliament (MPs) are expected to provide support, where they deem it appropriate. In Wales, applications (bids) for funding are submitted by the local authorities. The number of bids that a local authority can make will relate to the number of MPs in their area. The application process is competitive, meaning that not all local authorities will be successful in gaining the requested funds.
More information about the Levelling Fund can be found on the GOV.UK website (external website).
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Bids were invited by UK GOV based on constituency area. Denbighshire County Council submitted bids for all constituency areas.
Further information about the submitted bids can be found on our website.
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The Clwyd West application was submitted and approved under the Culture Theme.
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The Levelling Up Funding will deliver projects that will protect Ruthin’s unique Heritage, wellbeing and Rural Communities.
The aspirations of the application are to deliver projects under 2 themes:
Ruthin's Unique Heritage and Wellbeing
This theme is to improve connectivity for walking and cycling in and around Ruthin and complement investment in activities to boost its heritage and cultural value. The interventions proposed focus on public realm enhancements, widening the scope for hosting events and revitalising historical buildings and landmarks to support local identity, promote pride of place and boost the image of the town.
Rural Communities & Wellbeing
This theme aims to provide facilities within the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) sites of Loggerheads and Moel Famau, to attract visitors and accommodate existing visitor demands. New community hubs will be delivered in the rural surrounding villages of Bryneglwys and Gwyddelwern, which will provide new spaces for residents, who currently have a lack of opportunities for social engagement and access to services, either locally or in Ruthin.
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When UK Government announced a second round of the Levelling Up fund, Denbighshire County Council invited project proposals from elected members, MPs, Town and Community Councils and DCC officers.
Eligible projects were selected to be included within the final application because they were deliverable, impactful and fulfilled the LUF criteria.
The final list of projects to be included within the application was approved by Denbighshire County Council's Cabinet on 28th June 2022. The report and minutes of the meeting can be found on the Council’s website.
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A summary on each of the projects can be found on our website.
This information will be updated as further details on the projects become available.
Any events will be updated on the council’s website and social media sites.
News: Information event to be held for Clwyd West Levelling Up programme.
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UK Government approved the funding application after an extensive appraisal process which considered deliverability and impact.
Only around 20% of applications across the UK were successful.
The full list of successful applications can be found on the UK Government website.
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The LUF funding for Clwyd West has been approved to deliver an agreed suite of projects.
It is not possible to use the grant to fund other projects.
There may be other funding available that would be suitable for your project. Further information can be found on our website:
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The UK Government set specific criteria for the types of projects that it would fund through the Levelling Up Fund.
The money can only be spent on the projects that it has approved.
Further details can be found on the GOV.UK website (external website).
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Denbighshire County Council applied for the funding and is the accountable body.
Denbighshire County Council will be delivering 8 of the 10 projects, with St Peter’s Church and Cloister improvements delivered by Dyffryn Clwyd Mission Area, and Bryneglwys Community Hub delivered by Bryneglwys Cymdeithas Canolfan Ial Association.
Further details about the projects can be found on our website.
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1 of the 10 projects focuses on improvements to St Peter's square.
Details of the project can be found on our website.
There have been no designs finalised yet for this project. The project team Expect to carry out some engagement on the design proposals before Christmas 2023.
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The Council declared a Climate Emergency and has set ambitious targets to be Carbon Zero by 2030, more information can be found on our website. The carbon impact will therefore be a key consideration when designing and delivering the projects.
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The Council has a statutory duty to ensure compliance and enforcement of the Habitats Regulations (as amended in 2017). Furthermore, the Environment (Wales) Act, 2016 requires the Council to maintain and enhance biodiversity, and promote the resilience of ecosystems.
Biodiversity and Ecology will therefore be a key consideration when designing and delivering the projects.
Information on our Climate and Ecology Strategy can be found on our website.
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It is very exciting to know that there is a regionally important maternity roost for Lesser Horseshoe bats in Ruthin.
All our projects will need to consider the ecology implications of the works planned and will undertake any ecological surveys required. These will inform what works can be done, and how they are done.
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Funding secured from Round 2 of the UK Government’s Levelling Up fund is expected to be spent by March 2025.
Initially there will be very little to see as there is still a lot of work to be done to complete necessary surveys, develop designs and carry out public engagement, prior to finalising the designs and securing the necessary permissions/consents for the projects.
Timescales will vary depending on the nature of each project but we don’t expect to see any construction work until the autumn of 2024.
We will keep the Council's website updated and use various communication channels to keep people updated regarding engagement opportunities and progress.
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Yes. Ruthin is lucky to have such a high number of unique heritage buildings which have listed buildings status.
The project teams will need to work closely with heritage specialists and get special permissions before they can make changes.
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Inevitably there will be some disruption within the town due to the nature of the works. Construction work will be carefully planned to minimise any inconvenience, and advanced notice of what is planned will be shared with residents and businesses.
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Information about the projects as they evolve will be available on the Council’s website as well as through the following means:
As Denbighshire County Council aims to be Carbon Zero by 2030, we must consider how we engage with everyone to avoid excessive printing of documents.
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