Swansea
Leader
Newspaper of the City and County of Swansea
Issue 97
May 2015
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Get online • HIGH 5 AWARDS ARE BACK: Swansea City FC star Leon Britton and High 5 winner John Hayes are helping launch this year’s search for young people who deserve a community accolade. More Picture by Jason Rogers
COMMUNITIES working together to help improve the quality of life in their neighbourhoods are getting support from the council. Residents are already joining with the council to help look after older people and promote their neighbourhood parks, while others are setting up their own daytime social clubs to keep up with local life. And the council is playing its part too as part of the Sustainable Swansea - Fit for the Future transformation programme. One of the latest initiatives has seen the appointment of ‘local area co-ordinators’ whose job it is to get out and about supporting disabled people, people with mental health
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Communities to benefit from improvement drive LOCAL Area Coordination is a way of working that was pioneered in Australia and is being piloted in Swansea with money from the council’s Prevention Fund. Local Area Coordinators help prevent people falling into the kind of crisis that in the past might have led to Social Services becoming involved. In this way, people and communities can find more local solutions to everyday problems. They will be able to help people determine their vision for a good life, identify their own strengths and needs, to stay safe, strong, connected and contributing as valued citizens.
problems, older people and their families and carers. Jon Franklin, is covering Sketty, Tycoch and Sketty Park, Daniel Morris covers St Thomas, Bonymaen, Pentrechwyth, Port Tennant and SA1 Waterfront and Ronan Ruddy is local area coordinator for Gorseinon, Kingsbridge, Garden Village and Loughor. Jon said: “This isn’t about
us deciding what people’s ‘problems’ are. It’s about working together so people and communities support each other to stay strong. It brings together everything I’ve done and enjoyed doing over the years. We have to be creative, flexible and good listeners.” Dean Taylor, Swansea Council’s Corporate Services Director, said: “Our Sustainable Swansea – Fit for the Future transformation programme
needs to see savings of at least £81m over the coming years. Community action that reduces the cost of some local services will help to maintain essential services elsewhere. “However, the programme is also about improving services by doing things differently too and initiatives like ‘Friends of…’ park groups and Local Area Co-ordinators are part of that story. “These groups are closer to their communities which means they are better placed to anticipate issues and prevent problems to avoid additional costs further down the line. He added: “Prevention is better than cure and that’s what we hope will be one of the great advantages of community action initiatives like these.”
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