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'Time to deliver' on regeneration 'Time to deliver' on regeneration
(about 3 hours later)
Community projects designed to help Wales' poorest areas are to be told to deliver practical improvements, as the assembly government revamps the scheme.Community projects designed to help Wales' poorest areas are to be told to deliver practical improvements, as the assembly government revamps the scheme.
The Communities First scheme currently funds about 150 projects, but not all have provided the skills needed for people to enhance the area they live.The Communities First scheme currently funds about 150 projects, but not all have provided the skills needed for people to enhance the area they live.
An announcement is due on plans to ensure the scheme provides projects to help economic and social regeneration. Plans have been unveiled to ensure the scheme provides projects to help economic and social regeneration.
Renamed Communities Next, £140m will be spent on it over three years.Renamed Communities Next, £140m will be spent on it over three years.
Deputy Regeneration Minister Leighton Andrews is due to give details of the revamped scheme later. Deputy Regeneration Minister Leighton Andrews said the assembly government wanted to build on the Communities First programme, which was launched in 2001.
At a media briefing, Social Justice Minister Dr Brian Gibbons said the assembly government wanted to "build on the many successes that have occurred in the 142 Communities First partnerships across Wales". The 10-year regeneration project aimed to put local people at the heart of tackling local problems.
He said many of the most deprived areas had needed help to build up a framework which could be used to give them the assistance they required. Leighton Andrews said he would work closely with local people
"There wasn't the skills, there wasn't the leadership and there wasn't the overall perspective," he said. The new phase will put an emphasis on demonstrating practical action, such as creating job opportunities and providing training, tackling child poverty, establishing new community services and improving local income, health issues and the environment.
Dr Brian Gibbons said there would be 'vigorous monitoring' Launching a three-month consultation into the scheme, Mr Andrews said Communities Next "needs to be much more focussed on the practical delivery of schemes and projects that will make a difference to people's lives."
"Before regeneration could start, communities needed to have the capacity to bring the various interest groups in the community together to start identifying what local need was and putting action plans together to address that need," he added. He said: "The original concept for Communities First was about building the skills, experience and confidence of local people so that they could identify priorities for their communities in the form of a plan of action.
Dr Gibbons and Mr Andrews are due to launch a three-month consultation on the next stage of the regeneration plans at the Sandfields First scheme in Port Talbot on Wednesday. "The pace of development has varied widely.
Dr Gibbons said the project was an "excellent example" of a Communities First programme able to offer pre-vocational training to many people "who would not otherwise be engaging with the labour market". "Some Communities First teams have had a phenomenal amount of success in encouraging local enterprise and empowering local people to take the lead in renewing their communities whilst others have been slower to progress much beyond identifying their priorities."
But some of those who have been involved with Communities First schemes suggested the results have been mixed. Tackling poverty
One told BBC Wales that while many projects had worked well there were a "lot of areas run by inexperienced staff" and a lot of the bodies involved in schemes "wanting to run things themselves" rather than encouraging local communities to take control. The Deputy Minister said the revamped scheme would encourage partnerships to work with local authorities, Local Health Boards, Jobcentre Plus Wales, the Legal Services Commission and others.
Leighton Andrews will launch a consultation into the matter A new Outcome Fund would also be created to help deliver the new services, he added.
Dr Gibbons said Communities Next would have "vigorous monitoring" to identify areas where schemes were failing because organisations were not working well together. Mr Andrews said he wanted to see a greater proportion of the Communities First budget going towards the front-line projects, rather than the external support given to them.
He conceded that "there had been some (community) partnerships, even in the current programme, that haven't worked, people haven't got on, people have tried to use it as a hobbyhorse for their vested interests and so forth". But he warned that failing Communities First partnerships would be held to account.
But he added with around 130 groups involved in the programme there were bound to be some difficulties. "Ultimately the aim of the programme is to tackle the regeneration challenges we face, including poverty and disadvantage, with the full involvement of local people being the means to that end," he said.
Bureaucracy 'Bureaucracy'
There was a qualified welcome for the change of strategy from opposition parties. There was a cautious welcome for the change of strategy from opposition parties.
Conservative assembly group leader Nick Bourne said: "We have always supported the (assembly) government in its efforts to improve the quality of life in our poorest communities.Conservative assembly group leader Nick Bourne said: "We have always supported the (assembly) government in its efforts to improve the quality of life in our poorest communities.
"We will continue to do so."We will continue to do so.
"However we need reassurances that money set aside for this programme goes in the delivery of workable programmes that make a difference to people's lives, and not on administrative costs or bureaucracy.""However we need reassurances that money set aside for this programme goes in the delivery of workable programmes that make a difference to people's lives, and not on administrative costs or bureaucracy."
Welsh Liberal Democrat Social Justice spokesman Peter Black said: "I am glad that there will be an emphasis on delivering results.Welsh Liberal Democrat Social Justice spokesman Peter Black said: "I am glad that there will be an emphasis on delivering results.
"However, I hope the (assembly) government will listen carefully to the what people in Communities First projects have to say during the consultation.""However, I hope the (assembly) government will listen carefully to the what people in Communities First projects have to say during the consultation."
Plaid Cymru spokeswoman Nerys Evans said: "Communities Next will be judged by the long term change it's able to trigger in some of the poorest parts of Wales."Plaid Cymru spokeswoman Nerys Evans said: "Communities Next will be judged by the long term change it's able to trigger in some of the poorest parts of Wales."