Jessica O'ConnorThe Government has announced an additional £22m in funding to support workers and businesses affected by changes at Tata Steel’s Port Talbot site, bringing total support for the local community to £122m.
The funding boost increases the resources available through the Tata Steel / Port Talbot Transition Board, which was established to protect jobs and support employment during the transition to greener steelmaking.
Of the total funding, £102m has been provided by the UK Government, with a further £20m contributed by Tata Steel.
Since July 2024, the Transition Board has already allocated £80m of government funding, supporting thousands of training courses for individuals and helping nearly 200 businesses to start, grow, invest in new equipment and diversify into new markets.
Ministers said the rapid rollout of funding has helped prevent any rise in unemployment benefit claims in the area during the transition.
The additional £22m will allow more businesses and workers to access support through the supply chain, business start-up, resilience and growth funds into 2026.
The Government said the uplift could help support up to 1,000 additional jobs across the local economy.
Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens said: “This government has acted decisively to support workers and businesses in Port Talbot, allocating the entire £80 million in initial funding quickly into the community to ensure that whoever needed support could access it.
“Grants have been delivered swiftly to meet the needs of local people, businesses and communities and there is evidence that our approach is working. But we want to make sure that as many people as possible have continued access to support with the extra £22 million for local businesses into the new year.
“We said we would back workers and businesses affected by the transition at Port Talbot and are delivering on that promise.
“It remains a difficult time for Tata Steel workers, their families and the community, but we will continue to support them.”
