FAQ

Welcome to the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ page). Below, we have tried to answer the most common questions visitors to this our Web site may have. If you find that your question is not answered on this page, please email us Monkton_Communities First@co-operative.coop or call us on 0845 345 4953.

What exactly is Communities First?

The Welsh Assembly Government's Department for Social Justice and Regeneration established the Communities First programme in 2000. The programme operates in over 150 communities in Wales, some of these are geographical - based on County Council wards or specific parts of wards, and others are based on other disadvantaged groups such as minority ethnic and sensory impaired communities.

The programme is designed to increase participation and develop the capacity of communities to makes decisions and run projects themselves.

The Communities First Programme is designed as a "bottom up" approach meaning that major strategic decisions are left to the Communities First Partnership and are facilitated by the Communities First support teams and other stakeholders outside the community such as business and voluntary organisations.

Why was Monkton chosen as a Communities First area?

The Welsh Assembly grew concerned that many of Wales? communities were suffering from lack of investment, stagnation and apathy and embarked on research in order to identify the areas in need of most attention. The year 2000 saw the release of the Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation. The WIMD measured six ways how County Council wards compared. These were:

Income

Employment

Health

Education

Housing

Access to Services

There were a total of 865 County Council wards when the original report was written and the Social Justice and Regeneration Department chose to make the 100 most deprived wards Communities First areas. Monkton was ranked the 14th most deprived ward in Wales at this time.

More recently, Monkton had been ranked as the 92nd most disdvantaged ward from 1896 in Wales. This is based on the new criteria, which formed the 2008 Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation, and included Lower Super Output Areas, as well as County Council Wards. Monkton remains a Communities First area as it still remains one of the 10% most deprived wards in Wales.

What is the Communities First Partnership?

The makeup of most Communities First Partnerships is based on one third of members being residents of the community itself, one-third as representatives of statutory bodies; the remaining third come from the voluntary and business sectors. It is there to direct the strategy of the programme in Monkton. You can find out who is on the Monkton Communities First Partnership here.

Who takes responsibility for employing the support team in Monkton Communities First?

The Co-operative Group is the GRB (Grant Recipient Body). This is the term given to organisations who employ staff to assist the Partnership with development within each Communities First area.

Monkton alongside Llanion ward in Pembroke Dock were the first two communities in Wales to have a GRB which was neither governmental or part of a County Voluntary Council (such as PAVS in Pembrokeshire).

Monkton residents gain their Site Safety Pass, through the Communities First funded Springboard Project

Michelle Ferrier wins the "Mary Sigley Award for Volunteering" - A great representative of Monkton