£268m to help vulnerable people
Housing and Regeneration Minister Carl Sargeant has outlined how £134m will be invested in each of the next two years to provide housing support and assistance for some of the most vulnerable people in Wales.
Commenting on the funding announced as part of the Welsh Government’s Draft Budget the Minister said: “I am pleased that despite the challenging financial times facing the Welsh Government, I am able to deliver additional housing support for vulnerable people.
“Our Supporting People Programme is crucial in enabling people to live independently and deal with the very difficult personal circumstances they often face.
“The impact of the UK Government’s welfare reforms coupled with the pressures facing our health and social services, mean it is vital that we invest in services which will allow people to remain at home for longer.
“This investment will provide support over 50,000 people each year and will be crucial in preventing people turning to our health and social services.
“Evidence in a report commissioned by Carmarthenshire Council suggests that every £1 spent on Supporting People services saves the public purse £2.30 but this is not just about financial benefits. This support means that people can remain in and contribute to their communities for longer.”
Other housing initiatives boosted in the budget include:
A further £20m over the next two years to provide smaller homes for tenants affected by the ‘bedroom tax’, bringing the affordable housing budget to £71.8m in 2014/15 and £62.1m in 2015/16.
a further £5m providing loans to social landlords acquiring land for affordable housing developments
an extra £5m to provide loans to support Vibrant and Viable Places by converting empty commercial properties into homes for sale or rent.
The Minister added: “Despite unprecedented cuts in the Welsh budget, the Welsh Government remains determined to deliver on its ambitions for a fairer, healthier and prosperous Wales.
“It is crucial that we use every penny of our limited housing resources wisely and in ways that will deliver on the Welsh Government’s objectives.
“This investment in housing will provide more high-quality, warm and secure homes, and will also deliver effective services so that everyone has the support they need to live independently. “
The two – who are not related – have been selected for a unique pilot project, supported and funded by the Welsh Government, that provides a fast-track, work-experience and on the job training opportunity as trainee assistant location managers.
The pilot, which also includes a number of relevant industry training courses, is being delivered by Cyfle – the lead training company for the creative industries sector in Wales. On the job work experience is delivered with Adjacent Productions, based at the new film studio complex in Fabian Way, on the outskirts of Swansea.
Soffia, 24, from Cardiff and Kirstie, 30, from Llantwit Fardre are benefiting from working under the supervision of the production’s location manager Gareth Skelding, who has worked on many highly successful TV productions including Doctor Who, Torchwood and Sherlock.
They have joined the crew for the second series of Da Vinci’s Demons, an historical fantasy which follows the ‘untold’ story of the world’s greatest genius, Leonardo da Vinci, during his turbulent youth.
The pilot project was set up following discussions between the Welsh Government’s creative industries team and the producers of Da Vinci’s Demons; it has been created to address the wider concerns of the TV film production sector regarding the shortage of location managers in Wales.
Economy Minister Edwina Hart, who gave the go ahead for the pilot, said: “We introduced this pilot to see if an intensive approach to workplace learning under the direct supervision of a senior professional will help talented and motivated individuals to establish themselves in this field. There is a recognised shortage of location managers in Wales and we have listened to industry. Our response is both innovative and bespoke.
“Creative industries is one of our key sectors. We want to maximise the economic benefits of television production in Wales and have to ensure the relevant skills are readily available to support the sustainable growth of this important sector. We want the knowledge that currently exists in Wales in this particular area to be passed on, so that expertise is retained in Wales and the need for specialist workers to be recruited from outside Wales is reduced.”
Gareth Skelding, who has fifteen years of TV production experience behind him, said location managers are usually the first port of call for producers thinking of bringing projects to Wales, so a thorough knowledge of Wales is vital. He said:
“We have a fantastic range of locations in Wales and location managers are the key people who can exploit this through their knowledge.
“This training project can give young individuals the insight into the fantastic choice of locations on our doorstep and learn about what it takes to put a crew of this size into those locations. It gives them an opportunity to shadow experienced location managers and see what is required.”
Soffia and Kirstie have described their time on set as the ultimate work experience and between them, they’ve been scouting for locations, including beaches, caves, caverns and quarries, been knee deep in crabs, lobsters and fish, involved in night time filming, underwater filming and witnessed amazing special effects including two ships capsizing.
Nadine Roberts, Head of Training at Cyfle said: “Armed with the right skills, experience and commitment these trainees have the opportunity to become leaders of the future in their chosen field and help to attract an even greater number of exciting creative productions to Wales.”
