The Wales Audit Office report on Communities First pours several buckets full of cold water on the programme, with some justification. It concluded that the Welsh Assembly Government is unlikely to reach its objectives ’without a more robust approach to programme bending’. This is no surprise to anyone who has any underdstanding of community regeneration.
As far back as the early 1970s, the then flagship ‘Community Development Programme’ – one of which was in Wales at Glyncorrwg – found that community action could not, alone, address complex and deep-seated problems. What was needed, the various projects found thirty years ago, was local action coupled with major changes in wider policy and delivery. More recently, in the early days of the Communities First, many were arguing for much more programme bending. All unheaded, of course, because it easier to push £214 million into unthreatening local action like pensioners lunch clubs and community transport, rather than upset the apple cart and shift money within the education or economic development budget.
An issue that WAO does not address is how money in Communities First areas is used. Stories abound of abuses – from relatives of Communities First partnership members being paid ery generously for highly questionable ‘training’ events, to the alleged misuse of Community Transport vehicles to generous provision of equipment to selected participants in Community activities.
So what happens next? Dumping Communities First after all the investment so far is not an option, but tightening up the rules for funding is a must. More importantly, WAG must realise that designating 100 or so areas as ‘poor’ and shovelling money in their direction does not amount to a meaningful anti-poverty programme. ALL Ministers and ALL parts of WAG have a role to play in tackling poverty, in Communities First areas and elsewhere. As Helen Mary Jones and Huw Lewis agreed at the launch of the Bevan Foundation / JRF report on child poverty recently, it is time to call all Ministers to account and get tough.
Charlie 12:13 am on 16 July, 2009 Permalink
The concept of Communities first is brilliant and very much needed but for ALL of Wales. In my experience the “deprived” individuals in Wales are those who work, have morgages, pay their bills etc not many individuals who believe that its the goverments place to support them.
Why should the working families who have the principles and values of community life miss out on FREE activities to those who believe the world owes them.
I was awarded the UNLTD social entreprenuer award for Wales (level 2) represented UK in world summit of SE in Thailand as well as World forum of social enterprises in Edinburgh, my last 3 years in the sector has been a living hell literally just for wanting to make a difference to help safeguard my childrens futures.
As I do not come with Qualifications, fancy terminology or fit into a tick box people only referred to me as a troublemaker, psycho, crazy until now, where they are now noticing my natural ability of engaging with the “hard to reach” individuals as well as having an amazing vision of social innovation.
Over the past 3 years I have created the perfect social enterprise model of the 21st century community centre for fitness, work based learning, entreprenuership and social events which I truly believe is the model to create better health, employment and safer communities, the perfect model to make communities first programme sustainable as well as measure outcomes, make an impact and bring down many barriers whereas they have been building them to safeguard their own roles.
The c1st partnership and steering groups should all be abolished create mega problems within the communities. The staff say “no” more than “yes” falsify numbers of outcomes of training programmes or activities as they include themselves and their families in it, as well as the steering group & partnership which I yet to see a member who is or has been “deprived” in thier life.
I truly believe that c1st can succeed and achieve excellent outcomes over their final years and I hope that I will be one of the many to make it happen…..
To many individuals criticise too easily or run fast when a ship is sinking, the stronger individual will always try to keep it afloat and then work to sail it smoothly to their destination.
Social Innovators/Entreprenuers are greatly needed in Wales to work with all, to produce great futures of our communities, network internationally and to show the present “system” how to partnership for outcomes and impact rather than funding opportunities.