Ely riots and a plan to rebuild a community rocked by a night that shook Wales

An action plan to improve the lives of residents in Cardiff affected by riots nearly a year ago has been unveiled. The package of measures, agreed by the Welsh Government and Cardiff's Public Services Board (PBS), will focus on improving community safety, employment opportunities, living standards and the lives of young people in Ely and Caerau.

Riots resulting in the arrest of 27 people took place in Ely on May 22 and 23, 2023 following the death of two teenage boys, Kyrees Sullivan, 16, and Harvey Evans, 15. The two boys died in a bike crash on Snowden Road and the disorder happened after it was said that a police vehicle had been pursuing them.

Alun Michael, the then police and crime commissioner for South Wales, initially dismissed reports of a chase at the time, but CCTV footage later showed that a police van was following the teenage boys before the crash happened. The collision and disorder is being investigated by South Wales Police and an independent investigation into the circumstances leading up to collision, by the Independent Office for Police Conduct, is also on-going. For more Cardiff news, sign up to our newsletter here.

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The new package of measures as part of the Ely and Caerau community plan will see about £2m of grant funding invested in the area across the next year. It will include a number of measures, like launching a new youth space, targeted employment support, actions to prevent crime and anti-social behaviour and increased mental health provision.

The funding will come from different sources, including the Welsh Government, the UK Government, the UK Government's Shared Prosperity Fund and Cardiff Council. The plan was created by the local community, working with the PSB, which includes Cardiff Council, South Wales Police, and Cardiff and Vale University Health Board.

Community support organisation, Action for Caerau and Ely (ACE), undertook a lead role, working closely with the PSB while engaging widely with residents of all ages. A joint message from the community steering group called the events of May, 2023, "unsettling for everyone", but added that they "prompted an outpouring of community spirit and determination to come together and make a positive difference".

The steering group heard from 1,234 people between August and December, 2023, in open events, groups, surveys and conversations and gathered nearly 4,000 comments across 47 engagements. They added: "People in Ely and Caerau care deeply about our community and shared a huge range of ideas to help make things better for everyone who lives here." Some of the other initiatives agreed include:

• Develop a sustainable street-based youth provision to build and improve relationships with young people

• Deliver a young leaders programme at local secondary schools

• Develop dedicated programmes to support young people not in education or employment

• Deliver apprenticeships, jobs and training

• Deliver a community-led action to improve green spaces, parks and the local environment

• Deliver a community directory and website

• Support and develop local active citizenship

The steering group went on to say: "Together we have produced a plan that we believe can make a significant positive difference over the next few years." One councillor in Ely called the disorder that took place last year "dreadful" and another said she was "nearly in tears" when it happened. You can read more about what the councillors said here.

Speaking not long after the events of last year, Cllr Maliika Kaaba, Cllr Russell Godway and Cllr Irene Humphreys said that whatever happened next to help the community recover needed to be a joint venture done alongside residents. Leader of the council, Cllr Huw Thomas, said: "The Community Plan for Ely and Caerau reflects the collective vision of residents, local organisations, and authorities working together to build a stronger, more resilient community.

"The Council shares the community's ambition for new spaces for children and young people. We now want to work with the young people of Ely and Caerau, with partners, and with the Welsh Government to make this happen. This was, and is, all about what the people of Ely and Caerau have told us they need to build their community up after the tragic events of last year. The local community and the Public Services Board will now work together to deliver the plan across the 12 months.

"While the majority of these actions are one-year commitments and are funded on that basis - this will mobilise new ways of working and test new approaches which could have lasting impacts in the area, and which could also help us shape the way we look to build resilient communities across Cardiff in the future." ACE will be holding a community launch event at the Ely Caerau Hub on Wednesday, May 15, from 10am to 1pm, where the local community will be able to drop in and to ask questions about the plan, its aims and objectives.