Community groups highlight cost-of-living challenges at Senedd

‘Cost-of-living crisis’ is undoubtedly a phrase we’ve all heard and used plenty in recent months. However, we were reminded by Helen Griffiths of Hope St Mellons, that for many the phrase is simply a new description for decades-old problems. What is new, perhaps, is the scale of multi-layered challenges faced in communities due to rising living costs.

Last week, Buffy Williams MS kindly sponsored a BCT event focused on community responses to the cost-of-living crisis held at the Senedd. We were delighted to bring together twenty-five community groups and organisations from across the nation; with groups from Pembrokeshire in the West and Wrexham in the East, as well as many from the areas in between. We also brought together a mix of Invest Local Groups and other community organisations from across the nation to truly show the impact that Asset Based Community Development has on communities.

Attendees watched short films from Pill’s Swap Shop and Noddfa in Caerau, heard speakers from Hope St Mellons and Y Dref Werdd in Blaenau Ffestiniog; and were treated to a poem by Owen Maclean of MaesNi, in Bangor. There were also plenty of opportunities to network with each other and with politicians on a gloriously sunny day in Cardiff Bay.

During the event we were joined by nearly one-third of elected members, including several Ministers. Many have good links to community groups in their respective constituencies or regions and were meeting with groups they already had relationships with. Other groups, such as Together for Colwyn Bay, were able to make new connections with regional politicians. The groups were able to reiterate their key role in supporting community members and distributing funding and support to local people.

Even before Covid lockdowns and the cost-of-living crisis hit, community groups were providing essential community support as well as running key community services (such as leisure facilities, post offices, play facilities, pubs, libraries, arts centres and of course multi use community hubs). In some cases they were leading on local economic regeneration. Now many are struggling to continue doing this whilst facing significant increases in their running costs, despite the warmer months.

The event provided a timely reminder that the existence of community groups and the services they provide remain critical not only to those accessing their services, but also to local attempts at recovery and resilience.