The government funding is part of a wider drive to help local authorities improve the quality of the environment in their local communities.

Fifty-six separate projects, located in 15 authority areas across Wales, will benefit from the Tidy Towns initiative. The money will also help to regenerate neglected land.

In announcing the grants, Welsh Assembly Environment Minister, John Griffiths, said: “I am confident that this money will make a tangible difference to those communities and will encourage people to take an interest in issues affecting their local environment.”

Tidy Towns was launched in April 2008 to help empower Welsh people to take responsibility for the quality of their local environment. In the three years since it was established, £12M of funding has been provided.

All local authorities in Wales were invited to bid for the grants. In total, 79 bids were received from 16 councils at a collective value of £1.3M.

Maxine Perella

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