Local Authorities are at the centre of ensuring the social, environmental and economic well being of their areas. This must be through a process of partnership with other key agencies and the Welsh Assembly government in delivering these key objectives. The focus of local government’s activity must be upon 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 must be 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. This will be particularly relevant in terms of the next round of European structural Funds and their implementation in 2007.
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 co-ordinated 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 groups and private sector companies. They are key players in delivering programmes such as Objective One/ Two/ Three, Communities First and Rural Community Action. They are 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
- Promoting and facilitating the role of local authorities in economic development, tourism and regeneration in dealings with external organisations
- Exchanging experience between local authorities including through the Excellence Wales scheme
For more information contact: Lowri Gwilym