To wonder what can be done about ex mining towns in Wales?

[WelshDragon999]

I'm welsh, lived in Wales since I was born. Have lived in a variety of areas from Swansea to Cardiff and also abertillery, aberdare, Pontypridd, Blaina...
The cities do OK, and some of the small towns and parts of the valleys do ok if they're on a certain travel route, commutable or near a uni. But large areas of ex mining towns are suffering...
mental health issues, addiction issues, unemployment and a lack of amenities.
In one area (cwmbach, outskirts of aberdare) I was one of the only people in my block of flats that had a job - not for the lack of trying but there weren't many going. The local asda had over 1500 applicants for a temporary position and there wasn't much else going in the area. There still doesn't seem to be but I dearly hope things have improved.
I don't know if other areas are like this but Everyone seems wrapped up in London and the south of England because of how expensive it is
Aibu to wonder if anything can be done and if anyone ever really cares? Sadly I don't see many politicians giving much of a shit.

YANBU. I don't have any answers but am bumping thread for those who do.

Yes and the major work being done to improve the access to the area and therefore opportunities/jobs etc (A465 roadworks) was EU funded so once we leave I can't imagine anyone will fund fuck all for the area!

It needs companies to move into the area, instead of companies moving thier call centres to India they should move them to areas such as the Welsh vallies/the north.

That's my fear too Cat
EU funding wasn't amazing but certainly improved some things. Maybe over the years it could've transformed the area but obviously that'll take time, time we no longer have after brexit and I don't think Westminster cares about Wales at all.

I don't know what they can do. Various schemes and projects seem to come and go and nothing changes much.

I live in the Welsh valleys too (not Welsh) and I’m surprised at the level of drug/alcohol abuse and unemployment. I do think that the government does try in my area. There’s free fitness facilities for unemployed, my SiL gets 30 hours free nursery childcare and there’s a lot of support from the Job Centre with free training. Compared to Scotland I think it’s better. The health service is shocking though. And council tax in my area is pricier than Cardiff.

It’s sad to drive through these villages and see the poverty.

Maybe the government could move some departments to deprived areas? By that I mean gov call centres, like HMRC? If you're phoning them to do your tax credit claim or get help with a tax return does it matter if they're in South Wales, London or India? Perhaps then with more people in the areas; more amenities would follow, then maybe more businesses? I don't know, I'm just a jo bloggs really but I think something has to happen before we lose another generation of people to this.

Some ex Mining communities in the UK have regenerated.....some not so much either

It's not just Wales

I'm not sure limited schemes are the answer, I've seen schemes aimed at getting people into work it's all well and good learning to write a better CV or how to get through an interview but I'm not sure that helps when there are no jobs to apply to.
Would tax cuts help? Something like, if you establish a business and hire x number of employees within x y and z areas you don't have to pay tax for the first year/2 or 3 years?
I'm just musing, really. Even if I did come up with the best plan ever I'm not sure I'd know what to do with it! I've lived in a variety of areas and am fortunate to have never really been unemployed, but I do really wish there was something that could be done

I don't know much about other mining areas but I know in the north of England a few areas have similar issues. I probably couldn't name them with a gun to my head though

But the government outsource a lot of that type of job so the decision isn't theirs. What's broadband like up there? My valley times were pre broadband.

I don't know much about Wales, but am familiar with Yorkshire where we also have a lot of defunct pit villages

Honestly, I think it depends on the individual village/town, but in many cases I think there is little that can be done for some of these areas other than encourage people to move away. Some of the prettier ones might be repurposed as centers for country leisure pursuits/tourism, and some of the ones that are closer to urban centers could become commuter villages if they had really good transportation links. Unfortunately the quality of the housing stock in many cases is not great.

It's sad, but at the end of the day, the reason why there are populations living in these areas is because, several generations ago, people migrated to these areas to work in the mines there. Many of the pit villages in Yorkshire only sprang into life when people moved there from as far afield as Ireland in order to work the Barnsley coal seam in the 19th century.

I get that it's hard for people to move away when there are family ties though.

When I lived there, the hope seemed to lie in the areas with increasing EU funding. Cardiff seemed to have benefited so much from it. WTF were the Welsh population thinking, voting so hugely for Brexit?

(And no, the funds saved were never going to be thrown into failing Welsh towns.)

Some ex Mining communities in the UK have regenerated.....some not so much either

DH grew up in one - it's doing much better but it has couple of big cities nearby and good even improving transport links.

Yeah, I guess. They could stipulate it into the contract, though? It's way above my pay grade to know how these things work! I can gather Theresa may isn't personally working in HMRC's HR department though
My broadband has always performed rather well, but getting someone out to install It has been a ballache so I've sometimes been without wifi for 8+ weeks when I've moved as there are no appointments for ages. So not amazing, but not quite using tin can and a string either!

DWP is creating a new hub in Ponty. However there are no jobs being created, people who work in job centres in the valleys will have to travel there to work at extra cost. Likewise any claimants will have to travel there. It's likely that claims will reduce as people won't be able to afford to get there.

I think we need to invest in education and infrastructure. I live in Merthyr and secondary provision is poor. Most jobs are in Cardiff which and there's only two trains an hour to get there.

When we lose EU funds in 2022-23 then thankfully there is a crossover with the Cardiff region deal which hopefully will work on distributing some of the success of Cardiff.

I voted remain, I was surprised by the result (not the main result, but quite how much of Wales have voted leave)
From what I can gather it was desperation for change that made people vote that way.

I grew up in a former mining town. I think it’s starting to recover but it’s taken 30 years. There’s still a lot of deprivation, low expectations etc but there are some success stories too.

I don't think it's a smart idea to try to pull people to where the jobs are though.
Most of the jobs are in hugely expensive and already struggling (population wise) areas. The kind of areas with houses basically on top of each other and expensive rents to boot. If we moved everyone from areas to high unemployment to the south of England or cities further north I am concerned that we'll start seeing London bubbles everywhere. If everyone wants to live in a tiny corner of England shits going to get expensive really quick, whether that's the SE or the NE. Quite how redistribution of businesses/encouraging businesses into the areas with few jobs could be done... god knows

A regional investment bank, think Northern Powerhouse but with genuine aims and not just London spin. Encourage employers to move to the area with incentives, subsidies and tax breaks.

But the government outsource a lot of that type of job so the decision isn't theirs.

The decision to outsource is entirely theirs. There's nothing stopping them bringing services in house.

Most of these communities don't have good transport links and aren't pretty Koke. Our valley has one road running up to it and no railway. As you say it was a community built on the coal and before that it was sparse farmland.

I think it’s starting to recover but it’s taken 30 years.

Yes say DH town is similar - much better last ten years but it's linked to nearby cities ecomonies improving.

I was suprised so much of wales voted leave - but I seem to remember cornwall was similar voted leave but it benefits from EU money.

I used to have a job which involved lots of travel around south Wales. I couldnt drive for a few weeks due to a dodgy knee so my boss (lived in London) suggested I get around by train. How I laughed. The infrastructure here is terrible.

I don't know what can be done but I was a young, bright valleys kid I'd be hopping on a very slow train out of Wales.

Leghair...I work in Merthyr and travel up via the A465. I voted remain as I knew that the area I worked in benefited from EU money. People where I work voted leave but it could mean, due to the number of EU pupils in school, that the school could potentially close.
I really do not know the answer.

I think there are many towns across the UK that are suffering a similar fate. I know the Valleys well but live in North Lanarkshire and there are many towns that have the same problem. This area once had the thriving heavy industries of coal, iron and steel (remember Ravenscraig?). These died a death and lighter manufacturing moved in but also closed down because it was cheaper to manufacture elsewhere.

It’s heartbreaking to see the closed down shops on the high street. The only shops that seem to thrive are vape shops, tanning salons, bookies and charity shops. The biggest employers seem to be the out of town call centres. And yes, the little yellow stars of the EU logo can be seen on every regeneration project, public buildings, public art etc. When that money isn’t available anymore I dread to think what will happen.