Coalfield communities 'still blighted ten years after pit closures'

The in-depth study of regeneration initiatives in the Rhondda Cynon Taff district of South Wales and Mansfield in Nottinghamshire was complemented by broader analyses of change in other coalfields. The results of this research suggest that former mining villages experience a unique combination of difficulties. While their run-down housing estates resemble some of the worst seen in major cities, they also share the problems of poor infrastructure and isolation found in rural communities.

Katy Bennett and Ray Hudson from the University of Durham and Huw Beynon from the University of Wales, Cardiff examined the effects of national policies in response to coalfield decline as well as the impact of more local, community-based initiatives. They found that:

• Government and European Union funding has supported environmental improvements, including a clear-up of much of the dereliction caused by mining.
• British Coal Enterprises and other regeneration agencies have been less successful in creating training, employment and business opportunities. Some jobs have been created, but there has been little growth of small and medium-sized businesses and even less development in high-tech manufacturing.
• Job opportunities created in manufacturing and services industries, such as call centres, have not necessarily had a significant impact on poverty. Companies have been able to hire people willing to work flexibly for low wages, often in non-unionised workplaces.
• The new jobs have often been part-time and sometimes temporary when factories have closed soon after opening. Much of the work created has gone to women – creating tensions in communities where men have traditionally seen themselves as breadwinners.
• A wide range of community initiatives have provided alternative types of work and services. Programmes with a high level of contact and involvement of local people have generally been more successful than ‘top down’ initiatives started and led by statutory agencies.
• Although current Government policies promote partnership and community involvement, competitive bidding and short-term funding make it harder to engage local people in regeneration. A decision by the European Union to target more resources on fewer areas has restricted the eligibility of former coalfields for regional aid.

Ray Hudson, co-author of the report, said: “Despite being home to around 5 per cent of the British population, coalfield areas remain marginalised. A decade after their economic, social and cultural life was ruptured by pit closures, they continue to be characterised by high unemployment, long-term sickness and poverty. Government and other initiatives have had, at best, a partial and uneven effect in transforming these areas. Little progress has been made in rebuilding their productive capacity around new industries.”

He added: “Coalfield areas remain in continuing need of strong support from national and EU programmes for social and economic regeneration. But although they are unique places, their experience of dealing with the consequences of industrial decline has wider implications. Not least, they show how important it is for policies and funding arrangements to support the involvement of local people and help release their creativity and talents in renewing their communities.”