Responding to reports from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation that the Communities First programme has led to only “marginal improvements” for Wales’ most deprived areas, Eleanor Burnham AM, Welsh Liberal Democrat Shadow Minster for Communities said:
“This scheme has cost Welsh taxpayers over £240 million since it first started in 2001 and it seems that it hasn’t made much of a difference in our most deprived communities.
“There have been numerous problems with its effectiveness and its operation. Over the last few months, we’ve seen reports of serious and widespread weakness in financial control and governance as well as public funds being diverted from the overall intended purpose of the programme – something which the Minister himself has acknowledged. I find this very worrying given the amount of money spent on this programme.
“The Assembly’s own Public Accounts Committee has concluded that the Labour-Plaid government is unable to demonstrate that the scheme gives value for money and in difficult financial times, we must make sure that the Welsh pound is spent in the most effective way possible.”
