Anti Poverty Scheme Communities First To Be ‘Phased Out’

A Welsh Government policy aimed at helping deprived areas and tackling poverty in Wales is to be ‘phased out’.

The project, which has seen millions invested into 52 ‘cluster areas’ across Wales over the past 15 years features as part of the Welsh Government’s anti-poverty programme.

In Wrexham clusters such as Caia Park, Hightown and ‘Urban Villages Wrexham’ have received funding as part of the scheme – including over £1m in additional support last year.

However speaking at the Senedd today Communities and Children Secretary Carl Sargeant noted he was ‘not convinced that continuing to focus on 52 small areas is the most effective way to deliver for Wales’.

Mr Sergeant said: ““Within my portfolio, my priorities are wellbeing and economic prosperity. I am absolutely determined to meet them. To do that, I firmly believe it is time for a new approach to building resilient communities.

“While Communities First has supported people in some of our most deprived areas over the last fifteen years, I am not convinced that continuing to focus on 52 small areas is the most effective way to deliver for Wales.

“I am minded to phase out the Communities First programme while establishing a new approach to meet the challenges of the future. The new approach will focus on three key areas of employment, early years, and empowerment.

“Over the coming months, we will look afresh at how the Welsh Government can support resilient communities. This means communities that are empowered and engaged; communities that are ready and able to work; communities that can offer children the best start in life.”

“On Employment, I want to see communities that have access to jobs and people with the right skills and support to fill them. We have made a major commitment to Lift and Communities for Work, and I can confirm these important employment programmes will continue as planned.

“For Early Years, we can do more to protect children from the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences which are a major threat to well-being and economic prosperity.”

He added: “I am inviting organisations to join with us to develop Children’s Zones for Wales which will see organisations collaborating seamlessly to improve the lives of children and young people and, along with Flying Start and Families First, will support them to get the best possible start in life.

“In terms of Empowerment, I want resilient communities to have strong local infrastructure and strong and inclusive leadership. Local Authorities and Public Service Boards (PSBs) must now step into this leadership role. I will engage, challenge and support them to deliver success.”

Responding to today’s announcement, Welsh Conservative Shadow Secretary for Communities, Mark Isherwood AM, said: “It is gratifying to see the Welsh Government proposing a re-think on the Communities First programme – the reform of which Welsh Conservatives have long called for.

“With one in four people in Wales still living in poverty, it is clear the programme is not fit for purpose; has largely fallen short of its stated aims, and has been the target of concern for many of Labour’s own AMs.

“If the Welsh Government is serious about making up for its past failures then it should give serious thought to delivering locally-led regeneration schemes, which would strip away bureaucracy while delivering targeted and effective support, while saving tens of millions.”

Carrie Harper, Plaid Cymru’s Wrexham spokesperson, said: “Communities First has been a very mixed bag. At its best, under dedicated staff with an understanding of the needs of their communities, it made a real difference.

“At the other extreme it has seen money squandered by criminals as happened in Plas Madoc, who were exposed by a whistleblower and Plaid Cymru AM Janet Ryder.

“In between those extremes there are a range of experiences but the over-riding impression is of a 15-year programme that had no identifiable outcomes or targets, that was often under-resourced to deal with the huge problems facing our most deprived communities and ultimately failed to make a difference despite the millions of pounds spent on each area.

“That failure is down to a Labour Government that oversaw such an ill-thought out project rather than the people at the frontline who were tasked with implementing it. Successive ministers refused to accept that the programme was not fit for purpose, despite Plaid Cymru’s calls as far back as 2006 to re-think Communities First.”

She added: “Millions of pounds were spent in places like Caia Park. That money could have been better spent on creating real jobs, helping local enterprises and genuinely boosting communities instead of a discredited pet project that has cost hundreds of millions of pounds throughout Wales.

We have contacted Wrexham Council for a comment and will update when we have further information…