Carmarthenshire Community Safety Plan 2008-11

The Council’s Community Safety Team has been established to lead the County Council in its legal duty to reduce crime and disorder including the delivery of the new Community Safety Plan for 2008 – 2011.

Carmarthenshire remains one of the safest areas in the country. Crime levels are very low, and the Dyfed-Powys police force area as a whole is the safest region in the whole of the UK.

The Carmarthenshire Community Safety Partnership (CSP) targets the main crime and disorder problems throughout the county by identifying what they are, where they’re happening and to whom. We then work with all different agencies – including the voluntary sector and local communities – to come up with solutions to these problems.

A copy of the plan can be downloaded from the Council’s website, Link to CCC webpage here.

Contact Information

E-Mail: Community Safety ; Telephone : 01554 742211.

Consultation: Taking Action on Child Poverty

Consultation on a voluntary Joint Agreement on Child Poverty and proposed legislation. Date consultation commenced: 11/06/2008.

This consultation document presents the Welsh Assembly Government’s proposals for taking action on child poverty. This includes making new legislation to introduce a duty on public agencies in respect of child poverty, to provide free childcare places and other early years’ services in specific places, to match the guidance under which the Cymorth grant is provided and to introduce a strategy to support vulnerable children.

The document also includes a voluntary draft Joint Agreement on child poverty which sets out the commitment of public agencies to helping the Welsh Assembly Government with its child poverty objectives.
Link to WAG website page

End of consultation: 30/09/2008

Please send your response by e-mail to: Joanne.glenn@wales.gsi.gov.uk or by post to: Joanne Glenn, Child Poverty Unit, Welsh Assembly Government, Merthyr Tydfil Office, Rhydycar, Merthyr Tydfil CF48 1UZ; Telephone 01685 729320.

Consultation: NEET - Reducing the proportion of young people not in education, employment or training in Wales.

This document consults on proposals to reduce the number of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) in Wales. It is part of a series of themed papers which address skills issues identified in Skills that Work for Wales, the draft skills and employment strategy. The paper also relates to the draft Learning and Skills (Wales) Measure (2008).
Link to WAG website page

Responses to this draft consultation document should be sent by 11 August 2008 to Ella Davidoff at the address given below or emailed electronically to Reducing NEET .

Ella Davidoff, Welsh Assembly Government, Ty'r Llyn, Waterside Business Park, Clos Llyn Cwm, Swansea Enterprise Park, Swansea SA6 8AH; Tel: 01792 765828; Fax: 01792 765803.

Consultation: Draft Wales Intergenerational Strategy, Building a Society for all Ages

Following a period of initial consultation, the Welsh Assembly Government now wish to formally consult on the proposed Intergenerational Strategy Document. As an intergenerational document we are particularly interested in the views of both groups of children and young people and older people. We are hoping that organisations and groups will take the opportunity to organise some intergenerational consultation events to discuss the document.

The Consultation started on June 2 2008 and finishes on 30 August 2008.

Link to WAG website page

Iechyd Meddwl Cymru - A Well Being and Mental Health Service Fit For Wales

A paper written by Professor Michael Williams. This paper was requested by Edwina Hart MBE AM, the Minister for Health and Social Services. Its principal recommendation is that a statutory body responsible for mental health and well being in Wales is established.

Link to WAG webpage

Please send any comments you have on this paper for us to receive by 2nd September 2008 - either by e-mail to mentalhealthyourviews@wales.gsi.gov.uk or by post to:
Mental Health Your Views, Mental Health Policy Branch, Department of Health and Social Services, Welsh Assembly Government, Cathays Park, Cardiff CF10 3NQ

The Blue Badge Scheme – What do you think?

The Blue Badge Scheme which provides a range of parking concessions to blind and disabled people, is being reformed - and we need your views. Launched by the Welsh Assembly Government, on 11 June 2008, a consultation paper is seeking the public's opinion on how to strengthen the administration and enforcement of the scheme.

This includes a number of proposals to:

1. make improvements to the badge design;
2. establish a national data sharing system;
3. introduce new powers for local authorities to remove lost or stolen badges;
4. raise the level of the fee; and
5. launch a public awareness campaign.

All views submitted will help inform development of a reform strategy, and bring the scheme in Wales in line with recent changes in Scotland and England.

Everyone interested in the scheme is invited to comment on the proposals contained in the consultation document by Tuesday, 2 September 2008.
Details of how to respond to the exercise are contained in the consultation document.

Link to WAG webpage

The outcome of the exercise will provide the foundations for a comprehensive Blue Badge Reform Strategy planned for publication in 2009.
The aim of the Reform Strategy will outline plans for modernising the Scheme, making it more effectively administered, tougher on fraud and easier to understand.  It will present a total package covering eligibility, concessions, administration and enforcement to ensure that the Scheme continues to help people with the most severe mobility issues to get around more easily.