Turning £44m into support for community action.

As Welsh Government’s consultation into the future spending purposes for the Dormant Assets Scheme in Wales comes to a close BCT’s Policy Officer, Eleri, outlines why we’re calling for the funding to be used to support community action.

BCT has called for more investment into communities in Wales for several years now, with a specific ask that the next round of money from the Dormant Assets Act be used to give communities in Wales the long-term, flexible funding they need to plan and deliver projects in their local areas.

As the Welsh Government’s consultation seeking views on four possible spending purposes for the Dormant Assets Scheme (DAS) draws to a close, here are five reasons why we think this funding should be used to support community action.

What is community action?

Although varied and diverse, most community action is supported by volunteers, for the benefit of community and individual wellbeing. It tends to revolve around activities people want to do together, based around the premise of communities actively helping themselves. These are initiatives that people feel need to be provided both locally and independently from the state.

Using the DAS to support community action could:

·        Give people and communities the power to determine action in their local areas

Of the four spending purposes under consideration, community action is unique in not prescribing or restricting the direction of activity. By using the DAS to support community action, people and communities will have more ownership over how and where the funding is spent. We believe that people and communities know what works best in their areas.  Using the DAS to support community action has the potential to go beyond engagement, collaboration and involvement, reflecting the vision of thriving, empowered and connected communities.

·        Help reduce stark differences in socio-economic outcomes

Sustainable community action relies upon a mixture of people – commonly volunteers who offer their unpaid time and skills for the benefit of their community – and places, such as buildings, facilities and spaces where communities can meet, socialise and provide support, which varies from place to place. Our research shows that communities with fewer places to meet, that are less engaged and have poorer connectivity, experience significantly different outcomes compared to communities that possess more of these assets. To reduce this stark difference in socio-economic outcomes, long-term funding for community action is not only desirable, it is necessary.

·        Boost financial support for community action at a time of extreme financial pressure

With nearly all government departments facing reductions, and the social justice budget facing the “deepest cuts of any spending area in 2024-25” the DAS offers a rare, once in a generation opportunity to boost financial support for community action. As the public sector is forced to make tough decisions about where cuts are made, community activity will be relied upon more and more. Funding from the DAS would provide a welcome boost to community action in a challenging economic climate.

·        Maximise the benefits from this substantial but finite funding stream

Community action is broad enough to encompass the other spending purposes under consideration and enables communities to determine the type of action they wish to undertake. It allows community groups and organisations the freedom to choose to take action on climate change and the nature emergency, work with children and young people, or on financial inclusion, maximising the impact and reach of the funding. Funding community action enables place-based activity as well as activity undertaken by communities of interest.

·        Embody long-term thinking aligned to the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act

Community action is long-term in nature, offering innovative and local solutions to persistent challenges that the public is not always best-placed to respond to. It includes sport and leisure activities, enhancing green spaces, religious activities, managing key facilities and assets, as well as providing emotional and/or material support to friends and neighbours. It can also create jobs and wider economic benefits through community owned business and social enterprise development. Moreover, community action supports the preventative agenda and contributes to individual and community wellbeing.  

You have until February 28th to respond to the consultation. Don’t miss your chance to share your views about how £44m of unused money could be turned into support for community action.