THE Welsh Government has announced plans that would see major changes to services offered within our most deprived communities. Since 2001 our flagship anti-poverty programme, Communities First, has been providing support to our poorest communities in Torfaen, so the announcement of plans to phase it out will create much anxiety and worry over the future and what a new model could look like.

Communities First has faced criticism in some parts of Wales, but as I emphasised in the Senedd in response to the announcement, the programme in Torfaen delivers very real and positive outcomes in the areas of employability, financial inclusion, digital inclusion and well-being.

The partnership of Communities First, Families First and Flying Start works well in Torfaen because of the hard work and dedication of staff and the leadership of Torfaen Council.

In Torfaen, the programmes delivered have shown good evidence of their impact reaching 1 in 5 residents within the most deprived areas. E.g. It’s assisted 150 people into employment, delivered 12 supported business start-ups and provided financial support to 619 people in 2015/16 alone.

I realise we have to adapt to change, especially in post referendum Britain and given unprecedented change to welfare provision and the changing nature of work, our society and economy look very different from when Communities First was first established.

However, it’s crucial going forward, that any new approach does not jeopardise the significant contribution and work of Communities First locally and any new model needs to recognise the significant barriers and challenges that still exist for many people, who often really need the softer approaches that Communities First has been so good at fostering. This is something that I will continue to raise in all my discussions with Welsh Government in the months ahead.

It is also important to remember that it’s not just those who benefit from Communities First that will be affected by any change, but also those who deliver it. 737 people are employed by Communities First in Wales, so this is a very worrying period for them.

There will now be a consultation with stakeholders and communities over the coming weeks and months. Concrete details are yet to be announced but I want to make sure the consultation is as thorough as possible and that the concerns of my constituents are listened to. If you have views you would like me to feed in please contact me on Lynne.Neagle@assembly.wales or 01495 740022.