Wolverhampton Network Consortium has spearheaded a community based regeneration action plan which has co-ordinated investment of over £24m mainly from the European Regional Development Fund and European Social Fund.

The action plan has focused upon the most deprived neighbourhoods in the city and addressed priority investment needs highlighted by action planning and community consultation in the 15 neighbourhoods where community networks have been established, resulting in over 250 new jobs, training for over 1000 residents of some of the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods, and 14 new and refurbished community facilities.

The plan aimed to provide the catalyst for economic regeneration, creating jobs and new training, enterprise and learning opportunities for local communities, thereby helping to strengthen disadvantaged neighbourhoods.

In total 50 projects across the City benefited from action plan funding and the benefits are illustrated in many ways – from training and job opportunities offered through learning projects to joint working with the City Council to develop community based childcare facilities. Investment has been channelled into a range of priority measures. There has been support for community based networks and neighbourhood management initiatives to promote community capacity building, development of a range of innovative social enterprises which have provided new employment and learning opportunities and provision of new and enhanced community facilities. Amongst the new and enhanced community facilities are projects at Tettenhall Wood Institute, Pendeford Oasis, West Park Childrens Centre and the Wednesfield Childrens Village on the site of the former Bray House. These projects have attracted significant complementary funding from the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund and from the Surestart Local Programmes. Social enterprises have been developed in a range of sectors, two of the many innovative examples being the Neighbourhood Wardens for Stowlawn and Millfields and the development of the young women's resource centre in partnership with the YWCA.

£1m of ESF funding has been utilised to the full, enhancing and developing the skills of communities and increasing the training opportunities for residents, as well as providing support for them to gain occupational and vocational skills and qualifications. Projects supported through ESF ranged from telecommunications training, to the delivery of green apprenticeships through the Environmental Green Goods and Services project, as well as training for unemployed people in the communications and media industry through the local community radio station.

The action plan achieved over and above their set targets for the lifetime of the programme, and it is clear that although the action plan has come to an end, the work it has supported and helped to deliver will not.By working with communities to identify and address specific needs, the action plan has helped to create over 250 new jobs, , as well as putting into place extensive training and childcare facilities to serve the communities long into the future.