The latest multiple deprivation index for Wales has just been published. The twenty most deprived communities are as follows:
1. Rhyl West 2 (Denbighshire)
2. Butetown (Cardiff)
3. Queensway (Wrexham)
4. Rhyl West 1 (Denbighshire)
5. Rhyl South West (Denbighshire)
6. Townhill (Swansea)
7. Penydarren (Merthyr Tydfil)
8. Twyn Carno (Caerphilly)
9. St. James 3 (Caerphilly)
10. Penrhiwceiber (Rhondda Cynon Taf)
11. Castle 2 (Swansea)
12. Pen-y-waun (Rhondda Cynon Taf)
13. Caerau (Bridgend)
14. Penderry (Swansea)
15. Tredegar Central and West (Blaenau Gwent)
16. Tylorstown (Rhondda Cynon Taf)
17. Gurnos (Merthyr Tydfil )
18. Cyfarthfa (Merthyr Tydfil)
19. Castle 1 (Swansea)
20. Townhill (Swansea)
On the day that there are 'celebrations' over the One Wales Coalition and after nine years of devolved responsibility for social and economic development, we still have deep pockets of deprivation concentrated in a few areas.
One would have thought that, given the billions available from Europe and the 'devolution dividend' that we would have made a start on addressing these issues by now but very little impact has been made.
Surely it cannot be beyond the imagination of politicians and policymakers to focus some of the resources going to 'pet projects' to diversify some of this funding to these more deprived communities and enable them to ctahc up with the rest of Wales?
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
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9 comments:
You seem to have Townhill (Swansea)appearing twice, unless I'm reading it wrongly.
No - they are two separate parts of Townhill
The usual stuck record from Leanne Wood today on this matter in "Plaid AM Leanne Wood said: “Deprivation throughout the Valleys can be traced to Thatcher’s policies and the closure of the pits before any alternative employment on such a scale could be found. The subsequent neglect of areas like Penrhiwceiber, Pen-y- waun and Tylorstown by successive UK governments should give way to a better future for the Valleys, now that we have a progressive government in Wales.”
Grow up little girl.
We have had devolution for nine years and billions of extra money and we are still in the same situation.
And what's your excuse for the poorest communities in Rhyl West? Was that because of Thatcher's policies? Pathetic.
We have deprevation because we have no jobs for people to geton an employment ladder ( career is too big a word here)
The housing is crap in these wrds and needs so much improvemnet. There aer no facilities for young people, no support for single parents and I dont mean money - and yes IWJ and RM crow in Cardiff. Thats pathetic a dose of reality would do these people good
I know very little about Townhill (as I’ve already demonstrated, above) or any of the other areas identified. But I was brought up on a council estate in the 1950s and, like many others, I found opportunities for self-improvement. So what has changed? A lot. Political aims in those days were, whichever the party, shaped to draw out all the people’s skills/talents because the country needed them desperately for the post war reconstruction.
That phase is over and that political imperative has ceased. And we can’t expect the issues in Townhill to reach the top of the political agenda. But they are important issues and we need a policy. Our WAG politicians are floundering on this and other issues. We are treated to plenty of 'motherhood and apple pie' but they seem to relish the office more than the job. It’s sad to say, but I have sense that we will be having same discussion as this in another ten years.
I know Townhill well and have family living there. There is some truth that Thatcher's actions helped create these areas of poverty but 11 years of Blair and Brown have made little difference. There was a large injection of EU money several years ago, but it had a fairly limited effect, mostly because the Labour administration at the time replaced a lot of existing Council funding with the EU monies.
Dylan. I always respect your opinions and you no doubt have a huge part to play in a far more Welsh Tory party, but your attacks of IWJ for these areas of poverty is ridiculous. You know very well how long any economic development policy takes to work and if he had been in post as long as Andrew Davies then fair enough, but he hasn't.
On a completly different topic, why hasn't more been made of your party's excellent IPPR North research on UK funding?
The implications for Wales on a needs based formula are huge, yet the media appear unaware of the implications. Perhaps it's time for a radcial Tory policy announcement on this!
As far as I can see, I haven't attacked Ieuan at all and would never make any such personal remarks. Please correct me if I ahve overstpeed the amrk, which I certainly would not do deliberately, although you would forgive me for commenting on policies as I have done since I started writing on this subject in the Daily Post in January 2003.
I am more concerned about the press focusing on such trivial anniversary issues when there are real problems out there to solve, problems which are largely ignored by the media. If more attention was paid to these serious issues, then I can assure you that politicians and policymakers would also take more notice as that, unfortunately, is the way that it works down the Bay.
Indeed, I have enormous sympathy with any Minister who is working with a group of civil servants who, apart from one or two notable exceptions, are unable or unwilling to change the direction of the Assembly in this field.
Indeed, the economic policies of Wales have hardly changed since May 2003 and all the major economic announcements we have had in the last year were already flagged up and developed during the last Labour administration.
Read the blog entry from the 18th April, which does spell out this more clearly.
My concern, and it is a concern that many others share, is that it is the civil servants, and not the Minister, who are dictating the policy direction at the moment and that needs to change.
We need radical solutions to deep-seated problems but I am afraid the 'safety first' approach which is still part of the culture in Welsh policymaking is not going to achieve that.
Did you know Christopher Glamorganshire? What's the gossip?
Exactly right Dylan - the Index also raises other issues too - see my post on the Bevan Foundation blog.
PS Glad to see Dylan gets it in the neck for anything remotely negative about the Plaid bit of the coalition - me too.
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