Welsh regeneration policy is uncoordinated

Regeneration policy in Wales is uncoordinated and based on a
deluge of multiple, short-term funding streams, according to a
report by the Wales Audit Office, writes Mithran
Samuel.

It says there is a strong commitment to regenerating
disadvantaged areas across national and local government and other
sectors, but this is being hampered by a multitude of Welsh
assembly government initiatives.

It calls for the Welsh assembly government to set clear national
and regional priorities for regeneration, with longer-term,
simplified funding streams, and for local partnerships to set
10-year strategies for regenerating their areas.

The office said: “The current approach is complex and
cumbersome, with too many partnership arrangements, funding streams
and regimes arising from Welsh assembly government
initiatives.”

The report was welcomed by the Welsh Local Government
Association. Spokesman for economic development Bob Wellington
said: “Regeneration funding needs to be longer-term and more
flexible to allow councils to invest and respond to local
needs.”