14/05/24 

A package of measures - designed to improve the lives of young people and the local community in the Cardiff estates of Ely and Caerau - has been agreed by Welsh Government and Cardiff's Public Services Board. 

The Plan - aimed at addressing the concerns and improving the lives of residents in the area - was created by the local community, working with the Public Services Board (PSB), which includes Cardiff Council, South Wales Police, and Cardiff and Vale Health Board. 

Action for Caerau and Ely (ACE) - a local organisation with a long record of supporting the local community - undertook a lead role, working closely with the PSB while engaging widely with residents of all ages. This approach was designed to ensure that the community plan is deeply rooted in the needs and aspirations of the people of Caerau and Ely and was driven from the grassroots up. 

Published on Tuesday, May 14, the agreed plan has set out 40 objectives which focus on six key themes:

1. Children and young people
2. Community safety and safeguarding
3. Spaces and the environment
4. Health and wellbeing
5. Employment, living standards and cost of living
6. Communications and community building

A joint message from the Community Steering Group which has supported the development of the Community Plan reads: "The events of May 2023 were unsettling for everyone and prompted an outpouring of community spirit and a determination to come together to make a positive difference in Ely and Caerau. With an invitation and support from Welsh Government, Cardiff Council and the Police and Crime Commissioner's Office, ACE embarked on a large listening exercise to identify the strengths and struggles of our community and working together we have developed a community plan for Ely and Caerau. 

"We heard from 1,234 people between August and December 2023, in open events, groups, surveys and conversations. People in Ely and Caerau care deeply about our community and shared a huge range of ideas to help make things better for everyone who lives here. We gathered almost 4,000 comments across 47 engagements. We grouped the key issues that people raised into 6 broad themes. In spring 2024, we brought together 96 residents and 52 public and third sector partners in 7 community workshops to dig deeper into the issues and together we set about designing positive, tangible actions to make a difference across each of the 6 themes. 

"At every step, this community plan has been co-created with residents of all ages, people who work here, public services and Cardiff Council. From early mapping sessions in schools and community centres, to the Community Steering Group of volunteers who have been meeting every month to guide, ask questions, and ultimately sign off the 40 actions in this Community Plan. Many of the actions are for the council or public services (including local schools and the police) to undertake; some are for local groups and charities to lead on. All of them respond to the needs and ideas shared by the community. Together we have produced a plan that we believe can make a significant positive difference over the next few years." 

The plan, which has been agreed, will see around £2m of grant funding secured from different sources, including Welsh Government, the UK Government's Shared Prosperity Fund, and Cardiff Council, invested in the area across the next year. 

Initiatives agreed in the plan include:

• Develop a sustainable street-based youth provision to build and improve relationships with young people
• Launch a new dedicated youth space at Cardiff West Community High School
• Deliver a young leaders programme at local secondary schools
• Delivering actions to disrupt and prevent crime and anti-social behaviour
• Develop dedicated programmes to support young people not in education or employment
• Deliver apprenticeships, jobs and training through the Cardiff Commitment
• Deliver a community-led action to improve green spaces, parks and the local environment
• Increase dedicated mental health provision for adolescents
• Deliver targeted employment support for those furthest from the labour market
• Deliver a community directory and website
• Support and develop local active citizenship

Cardiff Council leader, Cllr Huw Thomas, said: "The Community Plan for Ely and Caerau reflects the collective vision of residents, local organisations, and authorities working together to build a stronger, more resilient community. The Council shares the community's ambition for new spaces for children and young people. We now want to work with the young people of Ely and Caerau, with partners, and with the Welsh Government to make this happen. 

"This was, and is, all about what the people of Ely and Caerau have told us they need to build their community up after the tragic events of last year. The local community and the Public Services Board will now work together to deliver the plan across the 12 months. 

"While the majority of these actions are one-year commitments and are funded on that basis - this will mobilise new ways of working and test new approaches which could have lasting impact in the area, and which could also help us shape the way we look to build resilient communities across Cardiff in the future." 

Jane Hutt, Trefnydd and Chief Whip, who has chaired the Community Reference Group over the past year, said: "Over the past year we have brought together people who live and work here in Ely and Caerau with local organisations, public services, and the council to help the community recover from tragedy and improve the lives of young people who lives in the area. 

"Now is the time for ideas from the action group to be progressed further and I look forward to seeing the community's powerful vision make a difference for years to come." 

ACE will be holding a community launch event at the Ely Caerau Hub on Wednesday, May 15, 10am-1pm, where the local community will be able to drop in and to ask questions about the plan and its aims and objectives. 

The full plan is available to read  here [aceplace.org/community-plan]  and hard copy versions of the plan will be available to pick up at the Ely Caerau Hub and at the Dusty Forge.