Welsh forestry funding fails to reflect the community, auditors find

17 Aug 10
Investment in Welsh woodland could be at risk after auditors found that the criteria for grants from the Forestry Commission Wales were not sufficiently robust.

By Jaimie Kaffash

17 August 2010

Investment in Welsh woodland could be at risk after auditors found that the criteria for grants from the Forestry Commission Wales were not sufficiently robust.

A Wales AuditOffice report, Public funding of Ffynone & Cilgwyn woodlands, Forestry Commission Wales, was released today. It came about after members of the public raised concerns over a grant awarded by the commission to Calon, a workers’ co-operative to fund woodland in North Pembrokeshire. This was from the Cydcoed scheme designed to provide funding to community groups.

The WAO found that the scheme did meet the criteria set by the Forestry Commission Wales. But it added that the commission’s requirements themselves were weak despite meeting European Union conditions for funding. This meant there was no consultation with the local community before giving out funding, meaning there was a chance the applicant does not represent the community.

This could lead to the investment in woodland not being protected in the future.

The report suggests that FCW should work with applicants to involve the community in decision making. It also recommends that processes for more robust project management are put in place immediately.

FCW director Trefor Owen said: ‘Cydcoed was a hugely successful scheme which enabled 163 woodland-based community projects in West Wales and the Valleys before it closed in November 2008.

‘We accept all the report's helpful recommendations which we will translate into the design and management of similar grant schemes in the future and we have put in place arrangements to ensure that future projects are scrutinised and managed more robustly.'

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