WIREDGOV

Local partnerships will take the lead in developing strong, resilient and harmonious communities fit to meet the challenges of the 21st Century, Social Justice & Local Government Minister Dr Brian Gibbons told community groups in Wrexham yesterday.

Launching ‘Getting On Together – a Community Cohesion Strategy for Wales’  the Minister said the strategy is part of the Welsh Assembly Government’s One Wales commitment to achieve a fair and just society, where all citizens can shape their own lives  and communities in which they live.

“Community cohesion is all about getting on together and the Strategy aims to do what it says on the tin.  It is about different sections of the community learning to respect each other, to understand each other’s views and to get on together even though there may be differences between them.

“These differences may be due to the colour of their skin, their age, religious views, ethnic origin, language or social class.  Community cohesion is about respecting those differences and focussing instead on what we have in common – our shared values.

“The key message in the Strategy is that ultimately local communities need to decide for themselves what their cohesion priorities are.  These will vary across Wales and it is certainly not for me to dictate what they should be.”

Dr Gibbons, speaking at a showcase of community cohesion projects at Glyndŵr University, said that Wrexham had been at the forefront of developing a local approach to community cohesion for a number of years and he was sure the work undertaken would be an inspiration to other communities across Wales.  

The Strategy focuses on those policy and service delivery areas that research has shown can have a significant impact on how well a community gets on together - housing; learning; communication; promoting equality & social inclusion and preventing violent extremism & strengthening community cohesion.

It emphasises the value of local partnerships, offers local cohesion partners a framework and guidance for developing a local approach, provides examples of current good practice and offers guidance on how partnerships can measure the impact of their activities through monitoring and evaluation. The Assembly Government will be supporting cohesion at a national level with grants to initiatives.

Following the launch the Minister visited the Caia Park Partnership in Wrexham to see for himself how community cohesion projects operate on the estate.