The Western Valleys of South Wales - which have some of the most deprived communities in the country - are set to benefit from the Assembly Government’s new highly focused and highly targeted strategic approach to regeneration.
Leighton Andrews, Deputy Minister for Regeneration, announced today (Friday Nov 14) he intends to develop the Western Valleys as a Strategic Regeneration Area (SRA) to ensure significant resources are specifically directed to tackle long standing issues in the region.
The SRA covers approx 150 square miles and includes a population of around 136,000 people. It is similar in size and scope to the Heads of the Valleys which was the first area of strategic regeneration established by the Assembly Government and is acknowledged as an exemplar project in tackling social and economic regeneration.
The exact geographical boundaries of the Western Valleys are to be confirmed but the area crosses five local authority boundaries and stretches from the Amman Valley in the west across to the Upper Garw and Ogmore Valleys in the east, taking in parts of the Swansea, Dulais, Neath and Afan Valleys and extending to Ystradgynlais in the north.
It includes key towns such as Cross Hands, Ammanford, Pontardawe, Neath and Maesteg although the area predominantly consists of a large number of disparate communities in semi rural locations.
The issues affecting the Western Valleys are similar to those of the Heads of the Valleys with both regions once dependent on coal and metal working industries.
Mr Andrews said a completely co-ordinated and concentrated thrust was needed to bring about change.
He said:
Significant challenges exist including access to services, an aging population, out migration particularly amongst the young, economic inactivity and low income levels. There is a real need to attract new businesses to the area and a real need to improve the health and well being of residents.
The Western Valleys are a diverse mix of communities with their own distinctive characteristics but all will benefit from improved access to employment and housing, to services and health care provision as well as community facilities.
He said that to maintain business as usual was not an option and would not comprehensively resolve the core issues affecting the Western Valleys.
A more strategic, long term holistic approach to regeneration is required where we have investment in people as well as places.
Regeneration approaches that fail to address the skills and employability needs of people and communities alongside physical and environmental improvements may leave long standing issues such as economic inactivity, poverty and social exclusion untouched.
To deliver real change we must link our regeneration projects with the wider objectives of tackling child poverty, reducing health inequalities, and promoting social inclusion, using the full range of levers – across the public sector and beyond.
By giving the area an enhanced strategic focus through the creation of a SRA provides us with a real possibility of solving the social and economic problems that currently blight these deprived communities.
The Deputy Minister said part of the strategic response would be collaboration with the Department for Works and Pensions to extend the City strategy approach to tackling economic inactivity which was having a real impact in the Heads of the Valleys.
He said priority would be given to focus investment in a number of the key towns which would have the greatest impact on the area as a whole.
A dedicated team of experts across a range of disciplines will be set up to co-ordinate activities in the Western Valleys, working in partnership with local authorities and other agencies and organisations.
The next steps will be to establish a budget, timeframe and draw up an action plan in partnership with local authorities and other stakeholders. He added that European convergence funding will be a potential source of match funding with applications already being pulled together by both the Assembly and local authorities.
