Neath Port Talbot Council has approved a programme of investment designed to improve neighbourhoods, strengthen local infrastructure and support communities across the County Borough. The Neighbourhood Improvement Plan will direct around £4.5m of funding into priority areas over the next three years.
The funding forms part of the £5m allocation previously approved through the Capital Strategy. A portion of this amount has already supported urgent upgrades to playgrounds, and the remaining funds will now be distributed across four key areas of work.
The first area will provide £250,000 for new plant and equipment for Neighbourhood Services and the Rights of Way team. This will include essential items such as mowing equipment and towable salt spreaders that will help improve grounds and highway maintenance and strengthen operational resilience.
A further £300,000 will be used to upgrade street furniture and bus shelters. A recent survey identified 31 shelters in the poorest condition category which will now be replaced. The investment will also support work to extend the life of other shelters and to replace priority items of street furniture identified by elected members.
The largest part of the funding, £2.9m, will be used for highway repairs and road safety schemes. This will include permanent repairs to potholes, surface patching and resurfacing, as well as the delivery of traffic and road safety schemes raised through member surgeries. This work will supplement the core highways programme and allow a faster and more focused response to areas most in need.
The final part of the plan will create a £1m Community Investment Fund. Through this fund, elected members will be able to apply for funding for local projects that improve community spaces or facilities. It will act as a top-up to enhance the existing Pride in Place Impact Fund (PIPIF) applications where project costs exceed the standard £25,000 allocation.
The programme has been designed so that work can be delivered through existing service capacity, supported where necessary by approved external contractors. This approach will protect service resilience and ensure that schemes can be delivered efficiently within the 2025 to 2028 window.
The report notes that the investment will strengthen community pride and wellbeing by improving local infrastructure, enhancing the public realm and making communities more attractive and accessible.
This investment programme is expected to deliver visible and lasting improvements in neighbourhoods across the County Borough and to support better connected, safer and more resilient communities.
Cllr Scott Jones, Cabinet Member for Streetcare, said:
“Residents want to see real improvements in the places they live, and this programme is designed to make that happen. This investment will allow us to respond to the issues people raise with us most often, from road conditions to bus shelters and local facilities. It is a major step forward for our communities and I am pleased that we can now begin to move these plans into action.”
