, Minister for Social Justice
and Chief Whip: On 26 May I published a written
statement setting out our intention to work with local residents,
community groups and partners to develop a Community Plan for
Caerau and Ely. I provided a further update on 19 June;
this statement confirms the actions that are now underway.
Work has begun to develop the community plan. The work will:
- Ensure the development of the Community Plan is led by the
grassroots communities of Caerau and Ely.
- Develop an understanding of the underlying factors/conditions
which resulted in disorder on 22 May, following the tragic deaths
of Kyrees Sullivan and Harvey Evans.
- Understand and deliver on community aspirations and ambitions
for Ely and Caerau, working collaboratively with the community to
identify pragmatic actions that will improve outcomes and
opportunities for residents.
The development of this community plan and the engagement work to
underpin it will be overseen by a community steering group,
facilitated by Action for Caerau and Ely (ACE). Membership
of the steering group will be drawn from the community, including
local organisations and residents. A full-time coordinator
has been appointed for this work, and will be funded jointly by
the Welsh Government, Cardiff Council and the South Wales Police
and Crime Commissioner.
I have been clear on the importance of ensuring that this work
supports and benefits children and young people, over the summer
months and beyond. Accordingly, on 23 June, we issued
Cardiff Council with a grant offer letter of up to £100k one-off
funding for targeted intervention towards activities to engage
children and young people aged 0-25 in the Ely and Caerau area.
ACE is seeking five volunteers to make up the community grant
panel who will work with the local authority’s child friendly
team and the community steering group to assess applications. The
council aims to issue grant awards to successful providers by 14
July, to enable activities to take place over the summer and
October half-term.
Activities will be free or significantly subsidised and span the
entire age range of 0-25; complement existing schemes operating
in the area, such as the School Holiday Enrichment Programme,
Food and Fun and the Playworks holiday project, and be inclusive,
with opportunities for children of all abilities. Cultural
inclusivity and the opportunity to participate in English and
Welsh will also be a priority.
I attended a meeting of the Cardiff Public Service Board (PSB) on
28 June, where proposed governance arrangements for developing
the community plan were discussed. All partners agreed that it
must be led by the local communities and not be top-down or
driven by public services. The proposals made this clear and were
agreed.
I previously set out my intention to establish a community
reference group as a resource for those developing the community
plan, to be chaired by myself with Councillor as vice chair. Our first meeting was held on 3 July,
with partners invited including police, local schools, primary
health care, faith groups, the voluntary sector and the
Children’s Commissioner. Attendees expressed support for the
approach being taken and agreed to work collaboratively in
support of those developing the community plan. The next meeting
will be held during the summer recess.
In developing this targeted and robust response to the tragic
events in Ely, I am mindful of the needs of other communities.
The work we do in Ely and Caerau will help inform wider
programmes to engage with and support communities across Wales.
