Posted on: Thursday 6 November 2025
The council is launching a bold initiative to reshape how public services are designed and delivered - and residents are invited to help shape it.
The Torfaen Deal is a new social contract between the council, residents, and partners. It sets out a shared vision for a fairer, healthier, and more resilient borough - one where health inequalities are tackled and every resident is empowered to thrive.
You are encouraged to visit Get Involved Torfaen and complete a short survey about your community, helping to shape the priorities and actions that will underpin The Deal.
Your comments and views will then be considered by a Citizen Assembly in the New Year, with The Deal due to be put out for further consultation in February.
Torfaen Council’s Chief Executive, Stephen Vickers, said: “The Deal marks a significant shift away from traditional models of top-down service delivery in communities. Put very simply, The Deal is a mindset that will transform the way we all work together. It’s about developing a new relationship with residents and partners that builds on the strengths and capacity in communities and is a genuine commitment to working together to design and deliver community services and facilities.
"By working together with a focus on prevention, empowerment, and collaboration, The Deal aims to break the cycle of rising demand and shrinking budgets and create the foundations to improve long-term community well-being.”
The Deal is built around five key missions:
- Early Years – Building Bright Futures: Supporting children and families to give every child the best start in life.
- Lifelong Learning and Resilience: Creating opportunities for people of all ages to learn, grow, and adapt.
- Wellbeing Through Community Leadership: Empowering local people to lead change and improve health and happiness.
- Thriving Economy and Vibrant Places: Creating spaces and opportunities where businesses and communities flourish together.
- Empowered Communities – Shared Power and Success: Placing power in the hands of residents to shape local priorities and co-produce solutions.
Council Leader, Anthony Hunt, said: “Demand for services like social care has surged and councils simply haven’t got the funding to keep doing things the same way. To plug the gap, councils have frequently cut wider discretionary services – often the very things that prevent poor health and reduce long-term demand.
"When those services decline, health inequalities deepen and demand for acute services rises as a consequence. In Torfaen, we want to be more innovative than that, because we believe things can be better for our communities. So today, we are proud to launch the Torfaen Deal – a bold step towards a future where everyone in our borough can flourish.
"This is more than a plan; it’s a new way of working, building trust and shared responsibility between the council, residents, and our partners. By investing in prevention and empowering our communities, we can tackle the root causes of inequality and unlock the full potential of Torfaen together.”
To deliver on these missions, the council is making a fundamental cultural and operational shift - aligning investment and services behind prevention, fairness, and resilience, and supporting staff to work closely with our communities as leaders and agents of change.
How to get involved
Residents, community groups, and partners are invited to take part in shaping The Deal. Visit Get Involved Torfaen to complete the survey and find out more about upcoming engagement events.
Residents can also get involved by joining the Torfaen Citizen's Assembly for three sessions during January and February.
Letters will be sent out this week with a deadline to register before November 30. The participants will then be selected by a random, representative process to ensure the assembly reflects the diversity of our community.