What is Communities First
Communities First is the Welsh Assembly Government's flagship programme to address issues of social exclusion in Wales. It is a long term programme that was set up to run for at least 10 years and will allow local people themselves to decide what is needed, and help them to make it happen.
Communities First aims to get local people involved in improving their areas, to bring in funding and other support from a range of services, to encourage new ways of dealing with problems and to involve everyone in working together to make their communities better places in which to live and work.
Communities First is designed to enable communities to pursue sustainable development and tackle social disadvantage themselves, through local partnerships. The Communities First areas comprise the 100 most disadvantaged wards in Wales (as identified by the "Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation" 2000), 32 smaller areas (Pockets of Deprivation), and 10 sectoral initiatives (Imaginative Proposals).
How does it Work?
A Partnership is formed in each Communities First area and takes on the main responsibility for running the programme. The Partnership includes representation from community members, the statutory sector and voluntary and business sectors.
A Coordinator is employed by either the Partnership itself, or the Grant Recipient Body that acts on the Partnership's behalf, and together they consult with the community about the issues, problems and opportunities that exist.
As a result of this consultation process, a Community Action Plan is developed to address issues and problems and exploit opportunities. This plan is used to apply for funding and join up local services.
© 2007 Communities First Powys