W hen the Social Exclusion Unit published their report on deprived neighbourhoods, setting out a powerful analysis of what has gone wrong in our poorest neighbourhoods, we all recognised turning these communities around was a major challenge after eighteen years of Tory neglect.
Working in partnership with local authorities, we have done a lot, but we know there is lot more to do.
The SEU has spent the last year examining the long-term policy changes needed on issues such as better management of housing estates, dealing with anti-social behaviour and ensuring investment leads to jobs that last.
This has been an inclusive process with eighteen policy action teams involving hundreds of people from inside and outside government, academics and those on the sharp end, including many from local government.
The draft Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy brings together the main conclusions of the policy action teams.
Our main aim is to arrest the wholesale decline of deprived neighbourhoods, to reverse it, and prevent it from recurring.
Success will be measured against a simple goal – narrowing the gap between deprived areas and the rest of the country on jobs, educational attainment, crime and health. The draft strategy sets out key principles: First, to revive local economies by:
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Making adult skills a priority and developing neighbourhood learning centres in all deprived areas.
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Improving IT, thus ensuring at least one community-based facility in each deprived neighbourhood by 2002.
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Making quality employment services in deprived areas a high priority.
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Smoothing the transition from benefits to work.
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Keeping money in the neighbourhood and using the New Deal in supporting local service jobs.
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Supporting business by making deprived areas a priority for the small business service and funding community finance initiatives for small businesses.
Second, to revive communities by:
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Tackling anti-social behaviour through neighbourhood agreements and employing neighbourhood wardens.
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Improving housing lettings policies.
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Reducing neighbourhood abandonment.
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Building community capacity.
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Rationalising funding sources for local groups and piloting neighbourhood endowment funds.
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Involving community sectors in service delivery.
Third, promoting decent services through:
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Targets for improving outcomes in core public services in deprived neighbourhoods, such as health, crime, jobs, educational attainment, drugs and access to transport. This puts the onus firmly on core public services – like schools, police and health and social services – to be the main weapons against deprivation.
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Increasing ‘schools plus’ activities.
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Better family support services.
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On-the-spot service delivery and better use of local buildings.
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Bringing shops back into deprived areas.
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Improving access to financial services, thus stimulating credit union growths.
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Possibly developing the post office network to deliver more financial services.
We have put in place the building blocks for neighbourhood renewal through both our recently published urban white paper and the additional £800m announced for the new Neighbourhood Renewal Fund, which is targeted at our 88 most deprived towns and cities. Most importantly, the Government is investing an extra £43 billion for core frontline services over the next three years.
It is vital we win a second term to carry on this work and unleash the talent of local people in renewing their communities.