Chair of Assembly Audit Committee welcomes verdict on Communities First
The chair of the National Assembly for Wales’ Audit Committee, Jonathan Morgan AM, has welcomed a new report on the impact of the Welsh Government’s Communities First programme.
In a report today(July 9) the Auditor General for Wales warns that the Welsh Government’s flagship programme to tackle poverty will not achieve its objectives unless reforms to the programme are made.
In welcoming the report the Mr Morgan said: “No-one can deny that tackling deprivation in the poorest areas of Wales should be a priority – particularly in these tough times.
“The Communities First programme has already ploughed £214 million into a number of initiatives and it is good to see that there have been some benefits.
“But what is unacceptable is that, eight years on, there are still serious weaknesses with the way the programme is being run.
“The Assembly Government cannot demonstrate the overall impact of the programme and is not doing enough to encourage public bodies, including its own departments, to prioritise and focus more of their work on Communities First areas.
“Without some fundamental improvements, this flagship scheme will not achieve what it has set out to do. This report makes some important recommendations which should be urgently addressed.”