By Paul Dicken
24 February 2010
A major programme to focus resources on Wales’ most deprived areas has come under renewed criticism for failing to demonstrate value for money.
The Welsh Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee said the Welsh Government had failed to adequately oversee the Communities First project and was unable to demonstrate good value for the £214m so far spent on the programme.
Committee chair Jonathan Morgan said: ‘The Assembly Government cannot take much comfort from the publication of this report. This is one of the most serious and critical reports that the Public Accounts Committee has published.’
He said the inquiry had shown that organisations involved in Communities First areas had been given insufficient guidance and ‘local authorities in Wales had simply not understood the nature of the programme’.
Morgan added: ‘This is the fourth report to be highly critical of Communities First since its inception in 2001. The committee heard that, while the programme is operated with the best of intentions to help deprived communities, there still isn’t enough support and guidance from those at the top to help those at the coal face.’
The report by the committee, published on February 23, followed a report by the Wales Audit Office last year.
A Welsh Government spokeswoman said the government welcomed the report and would carefully consider its findings before responding substantively.
The Communities First regeneration programme aims to make deprived areas a priority for public services by creating local partnerships to represent communities and trying to direct resources to these areas.
Reforms were introduced in April last year, including the introduction of a £25m Outcomes Fund, which provides match funding to projects that meet Communities First objectives.
The committee said it was too early to say whether the fund would yield positive results and recommended that it be closely monitored to demonstrate how the money was meeting objectives.
24 February 2010
A major programme to focus resources on Wales’ most deprived areas has come under renewed criticism for failing to demonstrate value for money.
The Welsh Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee said the Welsh Government had failed to adequately oversee the Communities First project and was unable to demonstrate good value for the £214m so far spent on the programme.
Committee chair Jonathan Morgan said: ‘The Assembly Government cannot take much comfort from the publication of this report. This is one of the most serious and critical reports that the Public Accounts Committee has published.’
He said the inquiry had shown that organisations involved in Communities First areas had been given insufficient guidance and ‘local authorities in Wales had simply not understood the nature of the programme’.
Morgan added: ‘This is the fourth report to be highly critical of Communities First since its inception in 2001. The committee heard that, while the programme is operated with the best of intentions to help deprived communities, there still isn’t enough support and guidance from those at the top to help those at the coal face.’
The report by the committee, published on February 23, followed a report by the Wales Audit Office last year.
A Welsh Government spokeswoman said the government welcomed the report and would carefully consider its findings before responding substantively.
The Communities First regeneration programme aims to make deprived areas a priority for public services by creating local partnerships to represent communities and trying to direct resources to these areas.
Reforms were introduced in April last year, including the introduction of a £25m Outcomes Fund, which provides match funding to projects that meet Communities First objectives.
The committee said it was too early to say whether the fund would yield positive results and recommended that it be closely monitored to demonstrate how the money was meeting objectives.
