Communities First
Encyclopedia
Communities First is a programme designed to increase participation and develop the capacity of Welsh
communities to make decisions and run projects. The programme was established by the Welsh Government’s Department for Social Justice and Regeneration in 2002. It operates within 142 communities in Wales
, some of which are geographical based on County Council wards or specific parts of wards. Others communities are based on disadvantaged groups such as ethnic minorities and sensory impaired communities.
’ communities were suffering from lack of investment, stagnation, and apathy. It embarked on research in order to identify the areas in need of most attention. In 2000, the Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation (WIMD) was released. The WIMD measured six ways how County Council wards compared:
There were a total of 865 County Council wards when the report was written and the Social Justice and Regeneration Department chose to make the 100 most deprived wards Communities First areas. The Communities First areas are spread throughout Wales with eighteen local authorities having Communities First areas within their borders. The remaining four local authorities that do not have wards within the one hundred most deprived are Ceredigion
, Monmouth
, and the Vale of Glamorgan
, although some of these local authorities have areas of interest based on disadvantaged groups such as geographically isolated communities.
The Communities First Programme is designed as a “bottom up” approach meaning that major strategic decisions are left to the Communities First Partnership and are merely facilitated by the Communities First support teams and other stakeholders outside the community such as business and voluntary organisations.
The makeup of most Communities First Partnerships is based on one third of members being residents of the community itself, one-third as representatives of statutory bodies; the remaining third come from the voluntary and business sectors.
The 2000 Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation has undergone revisions in both 2005 and 2008 and the six Key Themes highlighted above, (also known as the Communities First Vision Framework) have been augmented by the addition of Child Poverty as a vision framework theme in its own right. The active community theme is now known as an overarching or cross cutting theme that impacts across one or more of the above themes.
The Communities First programme continues to be delivered across Wales within its targeted and identified communities, the programme remains under review by the Welsh Assembly Government and a decision on its future post 2012 is yet to be made. No decision will take place on the future of the programme until after the Welsh Assembly elections of May 2011.
Whilst Communities First is a bottom up approach to community regeneration, it is recognised across the programme that for projects and activities to be successful, communities need to engage with local service providers in order to work together to address the problems associated with poverty and disadvantage within communities. Many successful projects have been and continue to be developed within the programme however the multi dimensional nature of poverty and disadvantage makes addressing compound problems even more difficult particularly when working in isolation. Examples of activities developed by Communities First since the programme began are: -
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
communities to make decisions and run projects. The programme was established by the Welsh Government’s Department for Social Justice and Regeneration in 2002. It operates within 142 communities in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, some of which are geographical based on County Council wards or specific parts of wards. Others communities are based on disadvantaged groups such as ethnic minorities and sensory impaired communities.
History
The Welsh Assembly grew concerned that many of WalesWales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
’ communities were suffering from lack of investment, stagnation, and apathy. It embarked on research in order to identify the areas in need of most attention. In 2000, the Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation (WIMD) was released. The WIMD measured six ways how County Council wards compared:
- Income
- Employment
- Health
- Education
- Housing
- Access to Services
There were a total of 865 County Council wards when the report was written and the Social Justice and Regeneration Department chose to make the 100 most deprived wards Communities First areas. The Communities First areas are spread throughout Wales with eighteen local authorities having Communities First areas within their borders. The remaining four local authorities that do not have wards within the one hundred most deprived are Ceredigion
Ceredigion
Ceredigion is a county and former kingdom in mid-west Wales. As Cardiganshire , it was created in 1282, and was reconstituted as a county under that name in 1996, reverting to Ceredigion a day later...
, Monmouth
Monmouth
Monmouth is a town in southeast Wales and traditional county town of the historic county of Monmouthshire. It is situated close to the border with England, where the River Monnow meets the River Wye with bridges over both....
, and the Vale of Glamorgan
Vale of Glamorgan
The Vale of Glamorgan is a county borough in Wales; an exceptionally rich agricultural area, it lies in the southern part of Glamorgan, South Wales...
, although some of these local authorities have areas of interest based on disadvantaged groups such as geographically isolated communities.
The Communities First Programme is designed as a “bottom up” approach meaning that major strategic decisions are left to the Communities First Partnership and are merely facilitated by the Communities First support teams and other stakeholders outside the community such as business and voluntary organisations.
The makeup of most Communities First Partnerships is based on one third of members being residents of the community itself, one-third as representatives of statutory bodies; the remaining third come from the voluntary and business sectors.
Key Themes
Although the partnerships are there to oversee the strategy of the programme in each individual area, the Welsh Assembly Government has given guidance in the main subjects that should be considered by the partnerships. These are based on the subject areas covered in 2000’s Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation. The six Key Themes are:- Jobs and Business
- Education and Training
- Environment
- Health and Well being
- Active Community
- Crime and Community Safety
The 2000 Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation has undergone revisions in both 2005 and 2008 and the six Key Themes highlighted above, (also known as the Communities First Vision Framework) have been augmented by the addition of Child Poverty as a vision framework theme in its own right. The active community theme is now known as an overarching or cross cutting theme that impacts across one or more of the above themes.
The Communities First programme continues to be delivered across Wales within its targeted and identified communities, the programme remains under review by the Welsh Assembly Government and a decision on its future post 2012 is yet to be made. No decision will take place on the future of the programme until after the Welsh Assembly elections of May 2011.
Whilst Communities First is a bottom up approach to community regeneration, it is recognised across the programme that for projects and activities to be successful, communities need to engage with local service providers in order to work together to address the problems associated with poverty and disadvantage within communities. Many successful projects have been and continue to be developed within the programme however the multi dimensional nature of poverty and disadvantage makes addressing compound problems even more difficult particularly when working in isolation. Examples of activities developed by Communities First since the programme began are: -
- Support and encouragement to Credit Unions to increase their membership
- Construction industry training scheme targeted at school pupils at risk of exclusion
- Developing Young people’s clubs and youth fora
- Developing Food Cooperatives
- Providing training to increase people’s skills and job readiness
- Projects aimed at improving the local environment
Member Wards
Member wards include:- ElyEly, CardiffEly is a community primarily dominated by council housing in western Cardiff, capital of Wales.-The Roman era:In Roman times, Ely was the site of a Roman villa, near the old racecourse...
and CaerauCaerau, CardiffCaerau is a community in the west of Cardiff, capital city of Wales. Heol Trelai is the main road or avenue which is very much lined with large trees and shrubbery. Dominated mostly by council housing, it has the Western Leisure Centre, supermarkets, schools, churches and an Ely Police Station...
, CardiffCardiffCardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
Ely and Caerau Communities First Website - Caerau, BridgendCaerau, BridgendCaerau is a former mining village in south Wales, located around 2 miles to the north of Maesteg in the Llynfi Valley, and is part of Bridgend County Borough. The township grew rapidly after the opening of Caerau Colliery in 1890. The colliery consisted of three shafts and employed 2,400 men at...
Caerau Communities First Website - Cwmaman in Rhondda Cynon TaffCwmamanCwmaman is a former coal mining pit village near Aberdare, South Wales. The name Cwmaman is Welsh language for "Aman Valley" . For postal purposes, it comes under Aberdare....
- Peblig Ward, Caernarfon - Gwefan Ddwyieithog / Bilingual Website
- Talysarn and Nantlle
- Penywaun, Rhondda Cynon TaffPenywaunPenywaun is a village in the Cynon Valley situated between Aberdare and Hirwaun, in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales.-Background:The population of Penywaun is approximately 3,300....
- Bettws, NewportBettws, NewportBettws is an electoral ward and coterminous community of the city of Newport, South Wales. It is one of the largest modern housing estates in Europe....
- Gaer, NewportGaer, NewportGaer is a community and electoral district of the city of Newport, South Wales.The ward includes both the Gaer and Maesglas estates. The name "Gaer" is from the Welsh word for fort , as found in Caerleon. It has an area which is recognised to be an old hillfort site, believed to be Iron Age -...
- MaesglasMaesglasMaesglas is a neighbourhood in the south west of the city of Newport, South Wales. In the 16th century it was known as Greenfield but in later years the Welsh language Maesglas has come to be more widely used....
, Newport - Stow Hill, NewportStow Hill, NewportStow Hill is both an electoral district and coterminous community parish of the City of Newport, South Wales.It is bounded by the River Usk to the east, George Street and Cardiff Road to the south, the Great Western Main Line to the southwest, Caerau Crescent, Caerau Road, Godfrey Road, Devon...
- MonktonMonkton, PembrokeMonkton is a village in Pembroke, Pembrokeshire, Wales. According to the United Kingdom Census 2001, there are 1688 inhabitants of the village.....
, PembrokeshirePembrokeshirePembrokeshire is a county in the south west of Wales. It borders Carmarthenshire to the east and Ceredigion to the north east. The county town is Haverfordwest where Pembrokeshire County Council is headquartered....
Monkton Communities First Website - Llanion, PembrokeshirePembrokeshirePembrokeshire is a county in the south west of Wales. It borders Carmarthenshire to the east and Ceredigion to the north east. The county town is Haverfordwest where Pembrokeshire County Council is headquartered....
Lanion Communities First Website - Llangefni, Ynys Môn, Ward Tudur
- Briton Ferry WestBriton Ferry WestBriton Ferry West is an electoral ward of Neath Port Talbot county borough, Wales. Briton Ferry West falls within the parish of Briton Ferry....
Briton Ferry West Communities First Website - Cymmer (Afan Valley)
- GlyncorrwgGlyncorrwgGlyncorrwg is a village in Britain. It is set in the Afan Valley, in south Wales.Glyncorrwg is also the name of an electoral ward and a community covering the village and surrounding countryside, in Neath Port Talbot county borough.- History :...
- GwynfiGwynfiGwynfi is an electoral ward of Neath Port Talbot county borough, Wales.Gwynfi includes the villages if Abergwynfi and Blaengwynfi. Gwynfi is part of the parish of Glyncorrwg and the parliamentary constituency of Aberavon....
- Neath EastNeath EastNeath East is an electoral ward of Neath Port Talbot county borough, Wales. Neath East falls within the community of Neath.Neath East includes some or all of the neighbourhoods of Melincryddan, Pencaerau, Penrhiwtyn in the parliamentary constituency of Neath...
Neath East Communities First Website - OnllwynOnllwynOnllwyn is a small village in Neath Port Talbot, Wales, near Seven Sisters.-History:First developed by the Romans, local village Banwen is confined to the Roman Road of Sarn Helen. There are two Roman forts and the remains of a Roman Road within the community.Legend has it that St Patrick was born...
Upper Dulais Valley Communities First Website - PelennaPelennaPelenna is an electoral ward coterminous with a community in Neath Port Talbot county borough, south Wales. The ward consists of some or all of the following areas: Cefn-Saeson, Tonmawr, Pontrhydyfen in the parliamentary constituency of Neath....
Pelenna Communities First Website - Sandfields EastSandfields EastSandfields East is an electoral ward and a community of Neath Port Talbot county borough, Wales. It is part of the parliamentary constituency of Aberavon....
- Sandfields WestSandfields WestSandfields West is an electoral ward and a community of Neath Port Talbot county borough, Wales. It is part of the parliamentary constituency of Aberavon....
- Seven Sisters, Neath Port Talbot Upper Dulais Valley Communities First Website
- WildmillWildmillWildmill is a district in the town of Bridgend, south Wales.The area is served by Wildmill railway station.Wildmill has often been associated with the working class and it has a high crime rate. Living standards are also low here, and most of the buildings are prefabricated...
, BridgendBridgendBridgend is a town in the Bridgend County Borough in Wales, west of the capital, Cardiff. The river crossed by the original bridge, which gave the town its name, is the River Ogmore but the River Ewenny also passes to the south of the town...
Wildmill Communities First Website - YstalyferaYstalyferaYstalyfera is a former industrial village in the upper Swansea Valley, on the River Tawe, about north-east of Swansea. It is an electoral ward and a community in the unitary authority of Neath Port Talbot, Wales, comprising a resident population of just over 3,000 people, approximately 60% of whom...
- MaesgeirchenMaesgeirchenMaesgeirchen is a large housing estate on the edge of the city of Bangor in Gwynedd, north-west Wales, with roughly 4,000 inhabitants.It was originally constructed in the late 1930s, with more homes being added after World War II and in recent years...
- NantygloNantygloNantyglo is a village in the ancient parish of Aberystruth and county of Monmouth situated deep within the South Wales Valleys between Blaina and Brynmawr in the county borough of Blaenau Gwent.- Places of interest in Nantyglo :...
Communities First (website: http://www.nantyglocf.org.uk) - Six Bells
- Ebbw Vale North and SouthEbbw ValeEbbw Vale is a town at the head of the valley formed by the Ebbw Fawr tributary of the Ebbw River, south Wales. It is the largest town and the administrative centre of Blaenau Gwent county borough...
, Blaenau GwentBlaenau GwentBlaenau Gwent is a county borough in South Wales, sharing its name with a parliamentary constituency. It borders the unitary authority areas of Monmouthshire and Torfaen to the east, Caerphilly to the west and Powys to the north. Its main towns are Abertillery, Brynmawr, Ebbw Vale and...
(website: http://www.communitiesfirstevns.co.uk/index.php)