A-Z of Services

Community Regeneration – Introduction

Most people would agree that the opportunities open to people during their life are affected by a great many factors – education, income, employment, housing, health, confidence, etc. Such factors are frequently influenced by where people live, with the result that some areas have more people with low qualification levels, low incomes, high rates of economic inactivity, poor health, and so on.

Government statisticians have grouped Wales’ communities into 1,896 small areas called Lower Super Output Areas (of about 1,500 people each and generally smaller than electoral wards) and have ranked these using the ‘Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation’ (WIMD). WIMD tells us which of our communities have the highest levels of people suffering the effects of these inequalities. In Wrexham we are interested in taking positive action in those areas that feature amongst the most deprived 30% in Wales. 25 of Wrexham’s 85 small areas are within this category – and these are referred to as our Target Areas.

‘Community Regeneration’ is the term used to describe this positive action on an area basis. It focuses on people more than on buildings, and involves the commitment and hard work of a wide range of people and organisations – residents, politicians, voluntary groups, community organisations, and public sector bodies. Such commitment includes public sector organisations recognising that certain areas should have a disproportionate amount of focus, since they are home to greater numbers of people facing the issues these bodies are trying to address, and this is known as ‘Programme Bending’. This approach uses ‘equalities’ principles, where people are treated according to their need rather than by being given an identical service regardless of need.

Positive change often needs action by more than one partner, though, with residents having key roles to play. The process of engaging residents in identifying (and acting on) the best ways of solving local issues is called ‘Community Development’. This process actively supports people in taking the initiative to improve opportunities for their community.

The Economic Development department leads the Council’s work on community regeneration, both by influencing the extent to which public sector partners ‘bend’ their programmes of activity, and by supporting community development activities. Both arms of the department’s work seek to achieve regenerated communities by making changes that are sustainable – in the financial, environmental, and most importantly, social senses, and so there is a significant focus on the roles and activities of voluntary and community organisations in our target communities, some of which are now sizeable social enterprises working alongside the Council to achieve common aims. The Council’s Community Regeneration Strategy 2009–12 guides this work.

Western Gateway Project

Community Regeneration Strategy 2009–12

This document can be downloaded in the following formats:

Community Regeneration Strategy 2009–12 – Microsoft Word format 491Kb

Community Regeneration Strategy 2009–12 – PDF format 352Kb

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