A CALL for a discussion into a Welsh Government report on Barry's regeneration has been made by Plaid Cymru councillor Ian Johnson.

Barry town centre councillor Ian Johnson explained that, in 2010 Plaid Cymru Minister Jocelyn Davies named Barry a Strategic Regeneration Area, with £9.8m invested in the town over a four year period.

Last year, Barry received £1million for future regeneration funding from the Welsh Government.

With a report on the regeneration programme due to be published shortly, Cllr Johnson said that it is important that it is scrutinised properly in a full meeting of the Vale council.

Cllr Johnson added that it was important the lessons of the regeneration programme were learnt, and that investment was best directed to create jobs and a better living environment.

“Four years ago, Barry was named a Strategic Regeneration Area by Plaid Cymru Minister Jocelyn Davies, with £9.8m invested in the town over a four year period," he said.

“That money has been invested in a large number of projects over Barry during that time, including community centres, children’s play areas and improvements to Barry Island.

“Unfortunately, the current Welsh Government scrapped the strategic regeneration areas and Barry instead received just £1m for future regeneration funding when we should have got £15m.

“The Welsh Government is currently writing a report on Barry and the other regeneration areas and it is important that we learn the lessons from this – including how to best create jobs and what impact the regeneration money had on quality of life in Barry.

“Barry’s failure to qualify for the next round of improvement funding was a big blow and hotly debated when I raised this in the full Vale Council meeting last year – with the Labour-run Vale Cabinet blaming the Labour-run Welsh Government.

“I am concerned that this report will simply be put in a drawer and forgotten about if it is not scrutinised in full council, in front of the public.”