Thank you, Presiding Officer. This Government is determined to deliver more and better jobs through a stronger, fairer economy. We are committed to improving and reforming our public services and we are intent on building a united, connected and sustainable Wales. Within my portfolio, my priorities are well-being and economic prosperity. I’m absolutely determined to meet them. To do that, I firmly believe it’s time for a new approach to build resilient communities.

For 15 years, Communities First has supported people in some of our more deprived areas. Over that time, the programme has evolved and changed, and in recent years has sharpened its focus on employability, working alongside Lift, and now our Communities for Work and Parents Childcare and Employment programmes. This is vital because, over those 15 years, our economy and society have faced unparalleled change and challenge. In recent years, families and communities have been left reeling from the impact of welfare reform and changes in employment. The bedroom tax and zero-hours contracts were not even thought of when Communities First was launched. In the coming years, we must also navigate our way through the implications of Brexit. It is clear that no single programme can protect communities from changes of this magnitude. Communities First has had a dedicated workforce and I extend my thanks to them for making a real difference to thousands of people. That said, I am not convinced that continuing to focus on 52 small areas is the most effective way to deliver this for Wales.

I am minded to phase out the Communities First programme while establishing a new approach to meet the challenges of the future. Every part of the Welsh Government has a role to play in creating a more prosperous nation of resilient communities. That is why, working together across portfolios, we are investing in the prosperity of our nation: creating 100,000 all-age apprenticeships; piloting a Better Jobs, Closer to Home project, designed to create employment and training hubs in areas of high economic deprivation; delivering the most generous childcare offer for working parents anywhere in the UK, and establishing a ministerial taskforce to develop a fresh approach to improving prosperity in the south Wales Valleys; creating the north Wales and south Wales metros; ensuring every child gets the best start in life through an extended pupil deprivation grant; and, carrying out the work on financial inclusion, including support for advice services, credit unions and promotion of financial literacy.

It is in this context that we will look afresh in coming months at how the Welsh Government can support resilient communities. And this means communities that are empowered and engaged, communities that are ready and able to work and communities that can offer children the best start in life—safe and strong communities that we are all signed up to. Our new approach will need to reflect the continuing effects of austerity. Clearly, there are difficult decisions to make. I want, therefore, to focus on three key areas going forward: employment, early years, and empowerment.

On employment, I want to see resilient communities that have access to jobs and people with the right skills to fill them. Employment offers the best, most sustainable way of escaping poverty, and is fundamental to the new approach to communities. We have made a major commitment to Lift and Communities for Work, and I can confirm today that these important elements of the programmes will continue as planned. Across Government, we are ensuring prosperity for all. The creation of a generous childcare offer for working parents will help to remove one of the major barriers to employment, as well as providing long-term benefits for our children. For early years, more resilient communities prevent and protect children from the impact of adverse childhood experiences or ACEs. ACEs are a major threat to well-being and economic prosperity. Tackling ACEs requires us to be smarter about earlier intervention in the lives of our very youngest members of society.

Llywydd, I don’t underestimate the challenges of doing this, but if we want to break the cycle, we must shift resources into prevention and protection. We can do more in our communities to protect against the damage caused by ACEs, and today, I’m inviting organisations to join with us to develop children’s zones for Wales, collaborating seamlessly to improve children’s and young people’s outcomes. This, along with the continuation of Flying Start and Families First, will support disadvantaged children to get the best possible start in life.

In terms of empowerment, I want resilient communities to have strong local infrastructure and strong and inclusive leadership. Public service boards, established by the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) 2015 Act, offer a vital means of achieving this. Local authorities also have a key role to play in finding ways to improve local communities’ well-being, embedding integrated, collaborative, long-term and preventative approaches, while reflecting the full diversity of the communities that they serve.  Local authorities and PSBs must now step into the leadership role. I will engage, challenge and support them to deliver success.  I will offer those local authorities that lead the way, supported by their PSBs in developing a more integrated and empowering approach, the opportunity to pilot greater financial freedom and flexibilities across programmes. This approach will build on the work of the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government to reform local government, ensuring greater participation in civil society and democracy.

I also expect empowered communities to have integrated and responsive public services. That is why we are committed to strengthening community provision of health and social care, where possible, moving these away from hospitals into communities. Schools and colleges also play a vital role, so we will pilot a new model of community learning centres, extending community access to services, including childcare, parenting support and family learning. We will promote the co-location and integration of services, building on successful models developed across Wales and beyond.

Resilient communities are empowered with a strong voice in the decisions that affect their everyday lives. We will develop a made-in-Wales approach to community assets. We will introduce measures to prevent unnecessary closure, and help communities take ownership of community assets, where appropriate. Implicit within this, and, indeed, throughout our new approach to communities, is an important role for the third sector.