Cornish towns fear losing out on funding from a new post-Brexit scheme.
Mark Williams, the town council clerk for Falmouth said the redevelopment of the town’s piers would have been a “prime candidate” to receive so-called EU structural funds, of which around £100mn were sent to Cornwall every year to boost infrastructure, business and skills.
A new post-Brexit scheme the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, will replace the £1.5bn in EU funding that was returned to the UK annually.
However, more than a year on since the UK left the EU, many councils such as Falmouth are still waiting for clarity about the new scheme.
The fund is set to be launched next month and the government promises it will, over time, match the EU funds but be less bureaucratic and better targeted, and be used to “build pride in place and increase life chances” in the UK.
However, a detailed prospectus has yet to be published.
Mr Williams said: “Our frustration is that, if we were under the old EU model, we feel pretty confident that we would have ‘spades in the ground’ now on these projects.
“The government keeps promising we won’t lose out from Brexit, and yet we still don’t know what’s going on with this new fund.”
https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1580691/brexit-live-news-updates-red-tape-border-ukraine-Northern-Ireland-EU-deal-talks-latest
