An extra investment of £12.13 million is proposed for Council priority areas in 2026/27, which Cabinet will consider next week. If agreed, it will be allocated across areas including highways, flood alleviation, splash pads, parks and green spaces, play areas and streetcare bins, as well as to help the development of major transportation projects in Llanharan and the Cynon Valley.
A report to Cabinet Members ahead of their meeting on Monday, September 21, details the proposed investment, which would be in addition to the capital programme for this financial year (2026/27) which is currently being delivered. It will then be considered by Full Council later in September 2026.
Similar one-off investments of this type have been brought forward on an annual basis since 2015, to deliver a total additional investment of around £235 million over and above normal capital programme allocations. This year’s extra £12.13 million funding would be allocated from approved one-off reserves that have already been set aside to maintain and enhance infrastructure across the County Borough. The areas that will be prioritised in 2026/27 are:
- Highways and Roads – £3.5 million.
- Llanharan Sustainable Transport Corridor – £3 million.
- Cynon Gateway North Transit Corridor – £3 million.
- Flood Alleviation works – £250,000.
- Unadopted Roads – £150,000.
- Splash Pads – £800,000.
- Parks and Green Spaces – £500,000.
- Country Parks – £150,000.
- Play Areas – £100,000.
- Streetcare improvements (bins) – £25,000.
- Energy support, third sector – £60,000.
- Capital Programme pipeline development/delivery – £600,000.
Councillor Andrew Morgan OBE, Cabinet Member for Environment and Capital Infrastructure, said: “Cabinet will soon consider these important proposals to allocate an additional £12.13 million across the Council’s priority areas during the current financial year – building on the substantial Capital Programme for 2026/27 that has been delivered since April. This is a one-off, extra resource, that will expand our programme of work in specific areas, and enable new investment in others.
“We’ve already allocated £6.6 million to maintain our roads this year, making excellent progress this summer in completing 70 resurfacing schemes so far. The new £3.5 million investment would allow us to expand the programme through to March 2027. The separate Unadopted Roads allocation of £150,000 would allow us to develop more schemes, adding to the 35 completed between 2021/22 and 2025/26. Similarly, we’ve progressed flood alleviation activity throughout the year, having secured more than £4 million from two Welsh Government programmes – for which we provide match funding. We propose an extra £250,000 to support our work in this key area.
“The Council is also progressing two major transportation projects, to provide targeted and sustainable solutions for known traffic pressures. A planning application was submitted earlier this year for the Llanharan Sustainable Transport Corridor, while a procurement process is underway to appoint a contractor for the Cynon Gateway North next year. We’ve made commitments to deliver both projects for the benefit of communities, and the proposed £3 million allocations for each will further support their design and development.
“We recently announced proposals to provide two new splash pads – one at Ynysangharad War Memorial Park in Pontypridd, which will be subject to approval by the Ynysangharad War Memorial Park Sub Committee – and another at Gelligaled Park in Ystrad. We’re confident these will be very popular with residents, and further details about their delivery will be communicated in due course. We also know how important our parks, country parks, and local green spaces are to residents, and this is reflected in a proposed £650,000 allocation across these areas – along with an extra £100,000 for our ongoing investment in local play areas, and £25,000 towards additional streetcare litter and dog fouling bins within our communities.
“These overall proposals have been brought forward as a result of prudent financial management – identifying important one-off funding for priorities in what continues to be difficult financial times for local government. A separate report to Monday’s Cabinet meeting outlines our Medium Term Financial Plan and, due to continued challenges, every Council in Wales is likely to face a budget gap again in setting their 2027/28 budget next March. The extent of this will become clearer following the UK Government Budget in October and the Welsh Government settlement due in November. As always, residents will be able to have their say on key decisions in our annual budget consultations that take place in the autumn and spring, which will be promoted by the Council nearer the time."
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Posted on 18/09/2026