The Western Valleys Strategy
The Neath Port Talbot Western Valleys Strategy was launched
in 2005 as a 10 year strategy to improve the life in the Neath
Port Talbot Valleys and improve the social and economic
prospects of people who live there. The Strategy was
published by the Council after liaising with its main
Community Plan partners and listening to the views of
residents and organisations in the five Valleys.
The Strategy consists of a programme for all the Valleys under
a number of key themes and a supplementary Action Plan for
each Valley. The Strategy is a partnership document and
is all about local communities and partners (including the
Council) taking ownership of project delivery and playing a more
active role in ensuring that any vision for the Valley is
delivered.
The Strategy contains a vast selection of the
individual comments/project ideas made during the consultation
phase which form a wish list for development of the Valleys
areas. It has proved challenging to deliver some of the
projects with constraints on funding and to secure delivery
partners to take projects forward. However a large number of
projects have been delivered to date and the Strategy has
raised the profile of the Neath Port Talbot Valleys locally
and nationally.
In 2009 it was decided that, as the Strategy was nearly mid way
through, it would be timely to carry out a review to ensure the
Action Plans were still relevant. More consultation events
were held in October 2009 to seek the ideas of partners and
residents for the future of their
communities. Coincidently at this time the Welsh Assembly
Government launched plans for its Western Valleys Strategic
Regeneration Area funding (SRA). The Western
Valleys of Neath Port Talbot are
included within the Programme boundary along with areas of
Swansea, Carmarthenshire and Powys.
Funding has been earmarked for Strategic projects under a number
of themes across the SRA area along with an allocation for
community based regeneration projects. Forums were
established for each Valley with representatives from the
community invited to attend. The Council prepared a Valley
Area Regeneration Plan (VARP) for each Valley which includes
statistical evidence highlighting areas of deprivation. Forum
members were asked to come up with a list of key areas of need
for their Valley and to put forward projects that would
address theses issues and to form the basis of an action
plan. The SRA Steering Group will assess the proposed
projects and prioritise community projects for funding over
the next 2 years.
As the VARPS are more current and address most of the issues
identified during the most recent Valleys Strategy
Consultation meetings, and have funding attached to them they
will now be adopted as a vision for development of the Valleys
areas of the County Borough, superseding the original Neath Port
Talbot Western Valleys Strategy.
The VARPS will be a working document and the Valleys Team within
the Council will offer advice, guidance and assistance
to community groups to develop and deliver the projects listed
in the Action Plans.
For up-to-date information on progress with the Western Valleys
Strategic Regeneration Area, please visit the Neath
Port Talbot Council for Voluntary Services’s website.
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Last Updated: 08.08.2011 at 14:08