Why the attack on poverty has failed

from Wales Online, UK

by Steffan Rhys, Western Mail

QUESTIONS were being asked last night about the effectiveness of the Welsh Assembly Government’s measures to tackle poverty, after an official report revealed the most deprived areas in Wales.

The Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation 2008 showed that little has changed since 2005 in terms of the country’s most deprived areas.

Merthyr Tydfil, Blaenau Gwent, Neath Port Talbot and Rhondda Cynon Taf still had the largest proportion of their wards in the most deprived 10% of wards in Wales, leading AMs and community leaders to doubt the impact investment has had in the country’s most vulnerable areas.

Meanwhile, Rhyl West was named as Wales’ single most deprived ward, moving above Butetown in Cardiff, which topped the list in 2005.

The index is the official measure of deprivation for small areas in Wales. It shows that of the 190 wards classed as being in the most deprived 10% in 2005 (out of 1,896 wards in Wales), only 24 had moved out of this bracket by 2008.

The categories it uses to establish overall deprivation are income; employment; health; education, skills and training; housing; physical environment; geographical access to services; and community safety.

In response to the report, Welsh Conservative Shadow Minister For Social Justice, Equality and Housing, Mark Isherwood, said: “This raises worrying concerns about the impact of poverty fighting measures taken by governments in London and Cardiff, about the effective use of public money in order to achieve improved outcomes for the most vulnerable, and about the large number of deprived people living outside the areas of deprivation which have received most attention.

“We must engage communities, trust people, share responsibility and tackle underlying causes, and target need rather than location.”

Betty Campbell, a former headteacher and councillor in Butetown, who now runs community projects, said: “How are we ever going to get out of this situation when there are people coming into the area who are already poor and there are no jobs available for them?

“I don’t know if the council or the Government have put enough effort into helping people in this area get jobs.

“Nothing has really changed. We have a community centre that needs to be demolished and rebuilt. And nothing seems to be sustainable. We get projects which go on for a year then come to a halt. Sustainability is key."

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