Think Rural, Think Links, Think Sustainability Project

Below is a link to a survey being carried out by NPTCBC's Rural Development Plan funded project "Think Rural, Think Links, Think Sustainability" project.

This project will consist of carrying out a community audit of all the rural wards in Neath Port Talbot. Neath Port Talbot Local Action Group were successful in gaining funding from the Rural Development Plan for Wales to carry out this project.

The needs audit will look at basic services, community transport, health care, job opportunities and tourism. The project will account for current services and to identify gaps in provision which will then inform a report to support future need. The results will be publicised and will include an action plan to address issues facing the rural wards of Neath Port Talbot.

The link is http://bit.ly/ThinkRural

Sustainable Communities

Below is a transcript of a presentation given by Dean Cawsey at the 2012 Plaid Cymru Autumn Conference as part of a panel discussion on Sustainable Communities organised and chaired by Oxfam Cymru:


There is a famous quote by American Anthropologist Margaret Mead which says that we should never underestimate the ability of a small yet committed group of individuals to change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.

This simple idea, that it is people who change the world, neatly sums up my belief that sustainable development is community development. Working with Oxfam Cymru, we are currently developing a project that aims to build sustainable communities by improving people’s livelihoods. This work includes supporting communities to make the most of their existing strengths and skills, and social and human capital in order to improve their lives and tackle individual disadvantage.

However, whilst it is important that communities manufacture resilience by building intra and extra community links and exploiting their non-monetary assets, it is equally important to move beyond temporary amelioration to true sustainable development that includes the creation of jobs and economic regeneration.

It is important to deliver real change in communities by developing projects which unite policy and practice, which combine implementation with ideology. Through practical concrete action we must promote philosophical concepts that need to be counter-hegemonic and provide an alternative to the individualism, consumerism and neo-liberalism that is leaving society culturally and intellectually bankrupt.

The central component to this alternative ideology is the idea of good work and the provision of good jobs. In this context, and in the context of sustainable communities, good work is work that pays well, offers training opportunities, is safe, includes pension contributions and a chance to progress. In my opinion, the real alternative to market-driven profit economies is good work delivered through common ownership, not via nationalisation per se (although this has a part to play) but through the growth of the social economy and social enterprises such as cooperatives, charities, industrial and provident societies, and companies limited by guarantee.

In practical terms, the community development I have been involved in is actually community organising - bringing people together and supporting them to tackle problems that matter to them. And it is directly out of this organising that organisations such as social enterprises grow. I am involved in two such organisations in the valley where I live, one as employee and another as volunteer Chairman, and between them they not only provide services, such as a crèche, cafe, market garden and community transport, but they also create almost 60 good jobs in an area where 60 jobs make up a substantial part of the local labour market. In addition, they act as unions of the community, a community where not everyone works and those that do, work in a multitude of different places, industries and sectors.

This approach, and the work we do with Oxfam, has a duel purpose whereby the creation of employment and a micro economic model with local trading patterns not only buffers against global economic shifts but also fosters an alternative hegemony which promotes values of collective human well-being, community and reciprocity.

If we are serious about building sustainable communities, if we are serious about sustainable development, then we must be serious about supporting this nascent form of economic development which sees the growth of community led, community based, and community owned social enterprises that create jobs, provide services and offer people an alternative worldview. In this respect, community development is, indeed, sustainable development.

Communities First – Futures; The future?

As we approach the ‘official’ end of Communities First as we know it, and enter the transition to a new version of the programme, we felt it timely to reflect on what we think has been the most important things during the past decade and update everyone on the current situation.

During August last year the Welsh Government released proposals to change Communities First, the main points being fewer, bigger areas to be known as clusters and a reduction in the number of organisations which directly receive funding to employ staff and run projects. In addition, there were also a suggested number of posts across a cluster and target population of around 10-15,000 residents.

Since then, the Welsh Government has held several consultations and meetings with key stakeholders from existing Communities First areas, but broadly speaking little has changed from their original ideas set out above. Locally, we have had to come to terms with the fact that change is likely, and we have sought to take a lead on proceedings by developing links with other areas that may form a potential cluster footprint – namely, Ystradgynlais and Ystalyfera Communities First, as well as Pantyffynon Communities First, a small village just outside Amanford, which has expressed a desire to be a part of our proposed cluster.

Whilst there hasn’t been a great deal of progress in terms of formally agreeing a cluster and the relevant details that need to be approved by the Welsh Government, we continue to build networks and relationships across the area, and have a determination to maintain the things that we feel have made a difference to people, groups and communities throughout our valley. Communities First shouldn’t be about Government policies or ticking boxes; Communities First should be about people, and supporting them to change the things that they care about.

What has worked best in our valley during the past ten years, and in our humble opinion, are the projects that have been led by communities via committed people and strong organisations. When supported, be it financially through something like the Trust Fund or by helping organise an event or project, people and communities are able to achieve change together, and make a difference that benefits everyone. And it is that sense of people being right at the heart of making things happen that we are determined to keep for the next decade of Communities First, whatever it may look like.