Talysarn and Nantlle community cash under threat

Jun 25 2009

TENS of thousands of pounds worth of funding was under serious threat after concerns were raised about a body set up to improve living standards in a disadvantaged area.

The Welsh Assembly Government would only approve one year’s funding (2009/10), instead of the normal three, to the Talysarn and Nantlle Communities First Partnership, after it queried the "effectiveness of the Partnership itself and its relationship with Antur Nantlle", a local organisation which acts as its grant recipient body (GRB).

It also questioned the management arrangements in place and the quality of the material presented in the Partnership’s applications for funding.

Since it was set up in 2001, the Partnership has received more than £1m in public funding and was partly responsible for securing a new community centre for Talysarn and Nantlle’s Llys Llewelyn centre.

Following the WAG’s threat to withhold funding, issued earlier this year, Antur Nantlle has withdrawn from its role as the accountable body and Gwynedd Council is expected to take its place following a meeting with the council board in July.

The Partnership has also arranged the "negotiated departure" of its former coordinator Dafydd Williams, who recently stepped down from his post. Mr Williams declined to comment when contacted by the Herald.

These measures amongst others appear to have satisfied the WAG who will now consider an application for Communities First funding for a further two years when Gwynedd Council steps into the breach left by Antur Nantlle.

However Antur Nantlle’s chairman OP Huws said the problems identified with the Communities First programme were "not unique" to Talysarn and Nantlle.

He said: "Antur (Nantlle) has not received any formal complaints from the Partnership through the normal procedures about our relationship, and WAG have not substantiated any claims.

"It is, however, true that WAG have in the past received complaints about the Antur from anonymous un-identified individuals, that were not substantiated."

He added that Antur Nantlle had always been meticulous in it’s dealings on the financial aspect of the work, and this has been "indisputably accepted by WAG and by the Partnership".

However, following the correspondence from Cardiff, everyone involved had "grave concerns" for the future of the Partnership.

As a consequence Antur Nantlle decided to withdraw from its previous role, leaving the Partnership free to open discussions with Gwynedd Council (and Tai Eryri) which has more capacity to carry out that task.

He went on to confirm that Antur Nantlle had reached a "compromise agreement" over the departure of former coordinator Dafydd Williams who was "not made a scapegoat" over the WAG’s concerns.

A WAG spokeswoman confirmed that Deputy Regeneration Minister, Leighton Andrews AM approved funding for one year only.

She said: "The approval was given for 2009-10 only at that stage, primarily because of concerns over the effectiveness of the Partnership itself and its relationship with Antur Nantlle. The Partnership was invited to apply for funding for 2010-12 once these problems had been addressed."

Since then, the Partnership has written to the WAG setting out the actions taken in response to the shortcomings identified and formally requested that funding be approved for a further two years.

The spokeswoman said: "The Assembly Government recognises the work the Partnership has undertaken to address the problems it faced and has confirmed that, in the light of the progress made, is prepared to consider an application for Communities First funding from the Partnership for the next two years once its new GRB is in place."

A council spokesman confirmed it had received a request to become the accountable body for the Communities First programme in the Talysarn and Nantlle area.

He said: "The council is currently in discussions with the Welsh Assembly Government to consider the implications, and the matter will be presented to the council board in July for a decision."