Consultation on proposals for Vibrant & Viable places

Briefing paper – November 2012

Introduction

The Minister for Housing, Regeneration and Heritage, Huw Lewis launched a new framework for the Welsh Government’s regeneration policy in October. The ‘Vibrant and Viable Places’ consultation is the result of a policy review of approaches to regeneration instigated by the Minister and sets out proposals for new national outcomes and regional governance for partnership delivery of regeneration and focuses on ensuring economic growth is inclusive, sustainable and focussed.

This briefing paper aims to provide a brief overview of this consultation. This paper aims to highlight those sections with implications for third sector organisations, but if any area is of particular interest, you are advised to examine the actual wording of the consultation, which is available here:

The consultation document was issued on 22 October 2012 and the consultation period closes on 14 January 2012. WCVA has already run a lead story in Networkmagazine outlining the focus of the consultation and providing initial responses from third sector organizations and others. This can be read here:

WCVA intends to submit a response and we would welcome input from third sector organisations. If you would like to contribute to our response please send comments to us by no later than Monday 17 December to allow time for us to finalise our response.

Please send your comments to:

Helen Wilkinson

Senior Policy Officer

Tel: 07872 912190

E mail:

If you prefer to respond to the Welsh Government directly you can do so by

Email

Post

Regeneration Policy Team
2nd Floor
Welsh Government
Cathays Park
Cardiff
CF10 3NQ

You can also submit comments by attending one of the follow up workshops in North, South West or South East Wales in December. You can clickherefor further details

Purpose of the consultation

Earlier this year the Minister instigated a policy review of the Welsh Government’s approach to regeneration. The review was led by the Welsh Government, with input from the Centre for Regeneration Excellence Wales, the National Regeneration Panel and specialist consultants who carried out some independent evaluation of work in this area. The review also benefited from the work undertaken by the National Assembly for Wales Enterprise and Business Committee during their inquiry on town centre regeneration.

Three key messages that emerged from the review were:

  • Strengthened governance is needed to improve delivery. In particular, there is an opportunity to drive regional collaboration in a more structured way, including effective spatial planning for regeneration.
  • Partnership is critical. Sustainable regeneration can only be delivered through genuine engagement with communities, local authorities and other public sector organisations, the third sector and the private sector.
  • The Regeneration Areas approach is transforming some of our most disadvantaged places, but there are still opportunities to improve the way the Welsh Government and its partners invest at local level.

‘Vibrant and Viable Places’ describes the Welsh Government’s approach to addressing these issues. The document sets out a vision, definition and national outcomes for regeneration, which reinforce the breadth of activity which needs to be considered. It also emphasises the need for partnership across Government and beyond.

The consultation proposals include:

  • New national outcomes
  • A people and place based approach which is well evidenced and evaluated
  • A strengthened national, regional and local delivery structure
  • A renewed commitment to cross-portfolio working within Government
  • Ideas on how to direct targeted investment

Welsh Government Questions

The WG consultation document raises a number of questions, and invites feedback on these specifically.

  • What is your feedback on lessons learnt from delivery to date?
  • Should other national outcomes or principles be considered?
  • What more can be done to achieve greater coherence and cross cutting action across departments?
  • Do you agree with the national, regional and local approach set out?
  • Do you have any comments on our proposals for how we will target and direct our funding?
  • We want to ensure effective monitoring and evaluation of regeneration activities; will the approach set out achieve this?

Welsh Government timetable

As noted above, the consultation period ends on 14 January 2013.

Following this, the Welsh Government proposes the following timetable:

  • Shadow Regional Regeneration boards to be established in early 2013/14 to collate evidence, map existing services, funding, opportunity and need, social, environmental, physical and economic. To then produce options and recommendations per region for investment to achieve national regeneration outcomes. More detail will be produced on the boards and funding allocations in due course.
  • WG intend to publish the new, agreed policy for regeneration in February 2013
  • New Regeneration framework goes live in 2014/15 with the new delivery structure.

The importance of this Bill to the wider third sector

The third sector is actively involved in regeneration both in policy and practice. A WCVA briefing outlining the sector’s contribution to the regeneration agenda is available on our website here:

The Welsh Government’s consultation document acknowledges the breadth and depth of the skills andknowledge within the sector and wishes to ensure that this is

harnessedthroughout the review and subsequent programme delivery and development.

The WG also acknowledges that the sector, in its various forms, plays a significant role in

regeneration but mustbe engaged at the right level and the right time. It notes that

opportunities provided by the thirdsector range from volunteering through to social

enterprise development, and fromdelivering physical improvements to services which reach those who find it difficult toaccess mainstream programmes.

Outcomes include community pride and sense ofplace, as well as health and wellbeing, social and cultural and skills andemployment. Increasingly, the third sector offers opportunities for alternative modelsof enterprise including a variety of different social enterprise models, such ascooperatives, community businesses and development trusts.

Larger third sectorregeneration agencies, especially Registered Social Landlords (RSLs), arerecognised as increasingly important partners in delivering major projects in local

areas. RSLs are not only equipped to deliver capital projects, but can reach marginalisedgroups through tenant engagement and empowerment. They have a uniquerelationship with our most marginalised communities.

The diversity of organisations in the third sector provides a voice for under-represented groups in campaigning for change, creating strong, active andconnected communities and promoting enterprising solutions to social andenvironmental challenges. Third sector organisations by their nature are closer to thecommunity than government, can be more flexible in their approach and are wellplaced to advise on the situation “on the ground”. The WG wants to ensure views are sought from the widest possibleaudience and seeks engagement with, for example, the following disadvantaged orexcluded groups:

  • Black & minority ethnic groups.
  • Single parents.
  • Young people.
  • Older people.
  • Disabled people.
  • Special needs groups.
  • Faith groups.
  • Carers.

Regeneration cuts across a wide range of policy areas including (but not exclusively) the following:

  • Public service delivery
  • Co design and delivery
  • Procurement
  • Anti poverty, social justice and equality
  • Health
  • Wellbeing
  • European Structural Funds & the Rural Development Plan.

Third Section Provisional Response

WCVA’s initial policy response can be read in a recent edition of Network magazine and is available for review here:

This article also includes the views and initial responses of other leading organizations.

WCVA believes that this consultation on the Welsh Government’s regeneration policy is an excellent opportunity for third sector organisations to help shape and influence the outcome. We welcome the whole-Government and cross-sectoral approach and the fact that this has been endorsed by the Cabinet.

We also believe that there are indications that the whole-Government approach is being firmly embedded in this consultation document, and that programmes and activities are being designed to reinforce one another to have maximum impact. For example, the national outcomes outlined in the document mirror the outcomes of Communities First and provide a tangible example of the kind of joined up approach to policy and practice that the document is actively encouraging.

The proposed approach to regional and local delivery, which mirrors the regional footprint in the next phase of Communities First and the wider public services collaboration agenda, poses challenges as well as opportunities for the third sector both in how it organises and engages at the regional level and locally. We believe that one of the tasks for the sector as well as the Welsh Government will be in ensuring that linkages with the regeneration goals of Communities First and European Programmes are strengthened in practice as well as in policy rhetoric.

Viable and Vibrant Places makes strong connections to the Welsh Government’s Tackling Poverty Action Plan and to aligning regeneration goals with European Programmes 2014-2020. We welcome such an approach. A key task for all stakeholders will be in ensuring that these linkages are strengthened, not just in policy rhetoric but realised in practice – in programmes, budgets and involvement in the proposed Regional Regeneration Boards, alongside local delivery.

We welcome the fact that the third sector is praised in the consultation document for

playing ‘a significant role in regeneration’ and for developing services for ‘those who find it difficult to access mainstream programmes’. We also welcome the fact that the Registered Social Landlords (RSL) sector and larger third sector regeneration agencies are acknowledged as increasingly important partners in delivering major projects in local areas.

At the same time it is vitally important the views of communities are taken into account, and that community led regeneration is supported and enabled in the context of the national goals and outcomes and regional and local levels of delivery. Community hubs are in our view ideal potential delivery vehicles for such an approach and can work effectively at the regional as well as local levels of delivery. The sector has led the way in working across boundaries and providing innovative responses to problems, and community hubs can provide ideal local delivery vehicles alongside other agencies.

Summing up. WCVA believes that the sector shouldwelcome the key messages in the consultation document including the recognition that making it happen will require partnership working from all stakeholders. Moving forward, it will be important that the third sector is treated as a strategic and equal partner and at all levels.

Third Sector Questions for Consideration and Feedback

We welcome feedback from the sector on the Welsh Government consultation questions listed on page 3 above. In addition, WCVA believes that the consultation document, Vibrant and Viable Places, and thespecific commitments to ‘better governance’ within it raises important questions for the sector and for the Welsh Government. These include:

  • Will the sector be on the Regional Boards and how?
  • Will there be a transparent bidding system for initiatives to the Boards?
  • Will the decision making also be transparent?
  • How can the sector facilitate bids to the Regional Boards?
  • Is there a place for community hubs in the process/bidding?

Again we welcome views and answers to these questions to help inform our

response.

Conclusion

This is a fast moving policy agenda, as is the timetable for implementation following the end of the consultation period. WCVA is encouraging third sector networks and organizations to seize this important strategic opportunity to engage and respond to the Welsh Government and we are encouraging as many members to do this as possible.

In addition, WCVA is inviting comments from sector networks and organisations to help inform our response on behalf of the sector. We welcome these by no later than 17 December to enable us to finalise our response before the 14 January deadline set by the Welsh Government for the consultation period.

If you have any queries about this briefing or the consultation document please contact Helen Wilkinson, . In addition, please feel free to feedback any comments and case studies which might inform WCVA’s response.

Relevant WCVA Background briefings and reports

The Poverty Challenge – the role of the third sector, WCVA 2012

WCVA Consultation response to Communities First, 2011 in partnership with leading third sector networks and organizations;

Community Hubs – A Vision for Wales, 2011;

Community Hubs in Practice – The Way Forward, 2011;

Communities First – A Way Forward, WCVA in partnership with Community Development Cymru & Centre for Regeneration Excellence in Wales;

These documents are available for download from the WCVA website,

HW/Nov 2012Page 1