Kirsty Williams AM

Labour-Plaid let down the Upper Swansea Valley again!

Kirsty Williams AM for Brecon and Radnorshire has expressed her disappointment that the Labour-Plaid Welsh Government has ignored calls for the Upper Swansea Valley to benefit from the Western Valleys Initiative.

The scheme will provide a regeneration focus on communities within a geography stretching from the Gwendraeth Valley in the West across to the Upper Garw and Ogmore valleys of Bridgend in the East and extend north to the community of Ystradgynlais in the North. It will focus support on frontline community projects.

Kirsty Williams said:"It is hugely disappointing that yet again the Tawe Uchaf area is being forgotten by the Plaid-Labour Government in Cardiff.

"Along with local stakeholders and the local community, I have called upon both the First Minister and the Minister for Regeneration to include Coelbren, Caehopkin, Abercraf and Ynyswen, in Powys, in the Government's new Western Valleys Regeneration area. Sadly the Government has refused to do so.

"These communities have suffered as much as those that will benefit from the initiative from a lack of investment and a shortage of jobs and services following the decline of heavy industry in the area. The Tawe Uchaf villages face many of the same challenges as those that will benefit from this initiative. These small, remote and less well serviced communities in the Upper Swansea Valley lie a few miles down the road from Ystradgynlais and it seems grossly unfair that they would be excluded from the initiative.

"I am of course delighted that Ystradgynlais will benefit from the initiative and that much needed support will be provided to organisations and residents in the town. However it is a missed opportunity that the boundaries of the initiative will not be stretched to include the Tawe Uchaf communities of Coelbren, Caehopkin, Ynyswen and Abercraf.

"This is Plaid and Labour yet again showing scant regard for the Upper Swansea valley, its communities and its people."

Notes

WRITTEN STATEMENT BY THE

WELSH ASSEMBLY GOVERNMENT

Title:

Strategic Approach to Regeneration - Western Valleys

Date:

6 July 2009

By:

Leighton Andrews, the Deputy Minister for Regeneration

Since I announced our intention to develop a Strategic Regeneration Area in the Western Valleys in late 2008 we have been working with stakeholders to define the scope of the SRA and develop a prioritised programme of holistic regeneration activity. With this in mind I am today announcing the boundaries of the Western Valleys area of South Wales as a Strategic Regeneration Area.

The Western Valleys is part of the spatial plan area identified as Swansea Bay - Waterfront and Western Valleys. It is very much identified with its history of heavy industry in mining, steel and chemicals. It is today still suffering from the decline of these industries and as a consequence has a number of areas identified in the Wales Index of Multiple Deprivation 2008 as some of the most deprived in Wales.

Following representations from stakeholders regarding the programme area boundary of the Western Valleys, I can confirm that it will provide a regeneration focus on communities within a geography stretching from the Gwendraeth Valley in the West across to the Upper Garw and Ogmore valleys of Bridgend in the East and extend north to the community of Ystradgynlais and gives a population included within the boundary of 183,690.

The inclusion of part of the Gwendraeth valley in the Western Valleys SRA is intended as a temporary measure to enable the development of integrated regeneration opportunities in that valley, while the area's specific relationship with ongoing regeneration in and around Llanelli waterside is developed.

The long term aim is to ensure a long term sustainable future through economic development, improving skills levels and training opportunities, stimulating job creation, raising housing standards, tackling economic inactivity, developing better transport links and promoting the highest quality of health care. An integrated programme of significant regeneration activity will be implemented to ensure a long term sustainable future and partnership is across boundaries is essential for success.

The programme is working in partnership with local authorities, the private sector and the community and voluntary sector and will build on the existing community infrastructure, including the Communities First partnerships based in the area, ensuring that best practice in regeneration is shared and the benefits spread across the valleys.

We will also ensure that local people are truly linked to the opportunities for regeneration and that the investment from the SRA programme adds value to existing and planned projects.