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Putting Communities First

Many believe that the regeneration of our most deprived communities should be at the forefront of the economic policies of those in power in Cardiff Bay.

Whilst parts of North Wales continue to prosper, it is easy to forget that we have eighteen of the most deprived wards in the whole of Wales across our region.

Bangor may boast a knowledge-based future centred on the technology of the university, but in concentrating on such developments, the problems of the nearby Maesygeirchen estate are a remainder that wealth is not spread evenly throughout the county.

Llandudno has become one of the jewels in the crown of Welsh tourism and yet the Tudno and Mostyn wards, with house over 6,000 inhabitants, are amongst the poorest in our nation.

To date, the reaction of the previous Assembly Government to these problems has been to spend £136 million on the Communities First programme, which has been tasked with providing opportunities for people living in the most disadvantaged areas.

Unfortunately, like all government initiatives, this programme has not been without its problems. There have been accusations that it has been a top down approach that has largely ignored the real needs of the target areas. Indeed, only last month, it was revealed that over £6 million of Communities First funds had been returned unspent to the Assembly Government, allegedly because unsuitable people had been appointed to programme posts and had left soon afterwards.

There have also been concerns about the lack of joined up thinking. For example, the Objective 1 programme saw over £115 million spent specifically on projects within the most deprived parts of Wales, but with seemingly little co-ordination with the Communities First programme.

Nevertheless, despite these problems, an important network has been established which can be built upon for the future, with excellent examples of community participation across many parts of North Wales. Partnerships in Barmouth, Peblig in Caernarfon and Rhyl West have been highlighted as examples for others to follow.

However, more can and should be done to take the project to the next level. For example, the Communities First co-ordinators employed under the programme must begin to work more closely with the private sector across North Wales to ensure that they can make a valid contribution to raising deprivation within their own localities.

Part of the rationale for this programme is that it should encourage creativity, risk taking and imaginative approaches to regeneration, and this could certainly be improved and embedded if community groups partnered with local businesses to create new opportunities across the region.

With at least another five years of the Communities First programme left to run, now is the time for North Wales to do something different and work alongside the private sector to support our poorer areas.

Certainly, in combining the specific expertise and experience of businesses with the community networks that already exist across the region, there is a real opportunity for greater and more effective working partnership between the private and voluntary sector in all parts of North Wales.

Comments

Anonymous said…
I am most concerned at the experience and quality of some of the co-ordinators of Communities First, even more so of the hangers on, support agencies and NGOs.
When u look at the reported measly 18% that actually reached communities, you have to wonder what is happening. May be franchise is the answer!
There are lots of good opportunities and good people working on this imitative too and with some out of the box thinking and innovation the scheme would fly, sadly like most things these days; it seems that only the favoured few get listened to at the Bay.
Widen this out and look at the horrendous mistakes being made in business support – why – because of the inexperience of a lot of decision makers in DIRN or DET and the people they rely on who have never been enterprising in their lives. In my experience a lot of people with directorial remits these days are not even aware of, or not capable of interpreting the reports and data they receive.
Wales is slipping and we need a vehicle to stop the slide, may be if we could lay aside differences in party colours, sectors and pride – we would get some where
July 12, 2007 1:07 pm
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