Disgusted of Llandrindod Wells

Auditor General Jeremy Colman has some criticisms for WAG’s (floundering) flagship scheme, Communities First. Lib Dems at Freedom Central leapt on the story here.

‘Mustard’ Colman said,

“Communities First has delivered local benefits and the Assembly Government has improved its management of the programme. But eight years into the programme the Assembly Government is still not tracking the full extent to which the programme is tackling deprivation and improving living conditions for those in poverty.”

It’s quite mystifying that WAG still doesn’t know the extent of the success of the programmes. This probably won’t stop politicians declaring them a roaring success, of course. Readers with a longer memory will recall the interim evaluation of the programme, which said that more concentration was needed on outcomes (i.e. value), rather than ‘capacity building’. The differences between the latter and throwing all the money onto a big fire is yet to be explained. Fortunately, the innovative proposal to rename the programme to ‘Communities Next’ was quietly dropped.

Anyway, CF programmes now have to ring-fence ‘outcomes’ funds. It would be rather awkward for politicans – and very depressing for Wales – if no sustained and enduring benefits come from this programme.