Projects aimed at regenerating deprived areas are to receive a £400 million cash injection, the government has announced.

The investment from the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund will help finance street wardens to reduce the fear of crime and training schemes for the unemployed.

Forum Response: Countryside Alliance

Richard Burge, chief executive of the Countryside Alliance, told ePolitix.com: "This cash boost looks like a good idea in theory, but we will need to read the small print to see exactly how much of this the rural community can expect to see.

"I am slightly concerned, when I see that money will be invested in things such as 'street wardens', that a band aid is being put over a compound fracture - what we need is investment in the police force, more officers, to bring crime levels down, not 'wardens' who will merely be a presence with no powers.

"This 'renewal' money should be invested in tackling problems at a grassroots level, providing adequate local services for people, providing a decent education, providing decent healthcare, Rural areas should be assessed on their own terms taking into account their particular needs, including sparsity.

"There should be no competition between rural and urban areas for funding; both urban and rural areas need adequate funding, not one at the expense of the other. If we can see that this money is being channelled into crucial projects and not merely being used for more cosmetic projects which give a good impression but suffer from lack of substance, then we will be happier."

Forum Response: Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment

CABE told ePolitix.com: "CABE welcomes the additional injection of investment in some of our most economically and environmentally impoverished neighbourhoods. We firmly believe that better quality buildings and public spaces improve the quality of people's lives and in a recent MORI poll commissioned by CABE, 85 per cent of people agreed with that statement.

"For too long, the quality of our neighbourhoods has been too low on the political agenda and we welcome the commitment of the government to help everyone achieve what we believe to be a fundamental right: a good quality, well designed, neighbourhood."

Forum Response: British Retail Consortium

Bill Moyes, director general of the BRC, told ePolitix.com: "Today's announcement of additional investment in neighbourhood renewal could be a great boost to retailers operating in deprived areas.

"Retailers have an important role in helping to tackle the problems and reduce the isolation felt by many of the most vulnerable groups in our society. We can give socially excluded groups the chance of a living and working environment in which they can thrive. We can help create new markets. We can provide new services. We can help to regenerate and revitalise towns and cities across Britain.

"In order for retailers and communities to enjoy shared benefits, the government has to provide the right policy and funding framework. Creating a new impetus behind urban regeneration, forming new partnerships to tackle crime, and greater investment in education and skills are all essential if we are to tackle social exclusion.

"It would enable the retail sector to invest in our towns and cities, and provide a gateway into employment for many of the most marginalized people in society."