Local Authorities are at the centre of ensuring the social, environmental and economic well being of their areas. They work in partnership with other key partners such as the Welsh Assembly Government, community and voluntary sector and the private sector in delivering these key objectives. The focus of local government’s activity is on delivering sustainable regeneration to ensure the long term viability of communities and their quality of life. Specifically this means:
Economic
Development of the local economy rather than a narrow focus on inward investment.
- An emphasis on improving the area’s well-being and providing a spectrum of employment and training opportunities.
Environment
- Improving the quality of the local environment and linking this with community engagement and economic development.
Social
- Putting local people and communities at the heart of the process.
- Dealing with basic skills deficits enabling people to participate fully in economic regeneration and meet changing labour market demands.
The aim is to ensure that regeneration activity has environmental as well as economic and social justice outcomes. Failure to achieve this will mean that the outcomes are not sustainable in the longer term. Too often regeneration initiatives fail because they do not meet local needs or address the underlying causes of economic disadvantage. People who live and work in a place, and others who care about its future, are best positioned to find solutions, implement them and reap the rewards. Regeneration must be focused on developing this capacity and making the right connections.
Whilst much of Wales boasts a good quality of life, a rich cultural heritage and dynamic cities and towns, Wales also contains some of the UK's most deprived communities and isolated rural areas.
Deprived areas invariably experience characteristics such as higher levels of long term and youth unemployment, low skill levels, uncompetitive industry, poor health and education, bad housing, a run-down physical environment, benefit dependency, high proportions of lone parents, loss of community values and social cohesion, ethnic minority disadvantage, high levels of crime and drug misuse. Fundamentally, these problems arise because businesses and people lose confidence in an area, and when mainstream public services have not been able to provide sufficiently concentrated or coordinated support. In such circumstances, concerted regeneration action is needed, that addresses, or at least, mitigates the causes and symptoms of such problems.
Local authorities play a pivotal role in economic and community regeneration in conjunction with the Welsh Assembly Government, enterprise agencies, community and voluntary groups and private sector companies. They are key partners in the delivery of the Welsh Assembly Government’s Strategic Regeneration Programme which aims to adopt a more strategic, long-term and holistic approach to regeneration. Local Authorities are key partners in all the Strategic Regeneration Areas designated by the Welsh Assembly Government as part of this programme. They are also key partners in the delivery of the Wales Spatial Plan across Wales.
Local Authorities are key players in delivering other programmes such as the European Structural Fund Programmes for Wales for 2007-2013 (Convergence, Competitiveness and Territorial Cooperation), Communities First and the Rural Development Plan for Wales. They are also involved in a range of specific activities including business support, community development, physical regeneration and labour market development. Moreover, regeneration efforts are further supported through mainstream services such as education, transport, housing and social services.
The Association seeks to support local authorities in their economic development and regeneration activities through:
- Providing information and analysis on relevant policy developments through the publication of a quarterly Regeneration Bulletin
- Promoting and facilitating the role of local authorities in economic development and regeneration in dealings with key partners (Welsh Assembly Government, third sector and private sector) in order to ensure that they fully understand, recognise and take on board local government’s role in regeneration
- Exchanging experience between local authorities including through facilitating a Regeneration Officers Network that meets twice a year and through the Excellence Wales scheme
For more information contact: Lowri Gwilym