Forum Brief: Regeneration schemes

Deprived communities are being "swamped" by too many regeneration schemes, a new report has claimed.

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation found that Whitehall's efforts were short-sighted and over complicated.

A spokeswoman for ODPM told ePolitix.com: "We are beginning to reverse the legacy of under investment in our most impoverished neighbourhoods - whether it's better health, more jobs, safer streets or improved education - to build thriving communities where people want to live, not leave.

"ODPM has undertaken a number of measures to ensure that the regeneration of disadvantaged communities is as effective as possible. This has been done through the joining up of national and local regeneration initiatives to reduce bureaucracy and improve access to funds.

"The review of Area Based Initiatives (ABI), published in October 2002, tackled the problems caused by too many initiatives on the ground. Recommendations included mainstreaming particular initiatives, merging others and reducing, simplifying and aligning bureaucracy. The recent progress report of the ABI review showed that there have been a number of significant changes resulting from the recommendations and outlined the resulting outcomes and impact on the front line, including reducing the number of initiatives covered by about a half.

"The ABI Guidance promotes coherence, integration and joint working. For instance, it states that 'new initiatives should identify all the related, existing schemes in the areas to be targeted, contact them early, and seek to work as closely as possible with them.' This ensures that there will continue to be a joined-up approach in tackling social exclusion through regeneration.

"At a regional level the Government Offices bring together the programmes, policies and people from ten government sponsor departments. The Regional Co-ordination Unit within ODPM promotes closer links between government activity in the regions and the centre. The government has also developed cross-cutting Public Service Agreements and cross-cutting units such as the Neighbourhood Renewal Unit, Sure Start Unit and Anti-Social Behaviour Unit.

"We recognise there is much more to do, but we believe the foundations are in place to move towards ending post-code poverty."

Forum Response: Joseph Rowntree Foundation

Professor Alan McGregor, author of the report, said: "National government has a key role to play in developing more effective joint working by requiring its own departments to work together more closely in a transparent way.

"But the greatest contribution it could probably make would be to stop the introduction of new initiatives and its constant tinkering with the rules for existing programmes, so that local organisations and local staff working for national agencies have the time to build stable working relationships with each other.

"Successful joint working is difficult enough given the complexity of social exclusion in many areas, variations in targets and timescales and the different organisational cultures that exist. Most partnerships also place significant demands on staff time in their member organisations

"That makes it all the more vital that local energies are not diluted or dispersed by excessive demands imposed by government from above or by needless misunderstandings or duplication of effort at the local level."

Forum Response: British Retail Consortium

A spokesman for the British Retail Consortium told ePolitix.com: "The BRC submitted evidence to the ODPM select committee on planning and productivity.

"It showed there was a fundamental need for government to develop policy that began by improving living conditions at a local level such as providing a cleaner, safer shopping environment for residents.

"The benefits of addressing social issues at this level quickly escalate to include better access through public transport, more local jobs, and wealth creation.

"Unfortunately ministers appear reluctant to take a lead from the business sector. They fail to take a joined up approach to their operations.

"Consequently we see piecemeal initiatives to tackle crime in shopping centres that have no long-term support or attempts to create Business Improvement Districts that will fail because property owners are excluded from the scheme.

"Getting the basics right has to be the starting point. Creating a commercial incentive must be at the heart of the policy."

Forum Response: Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors

Neil Johnson, senior parliamentary and policy officer at RICS, told ePolitix.com: "RICS agrees with the findings of the study that government needs to take a more `joined up' approach to successfully regenerate disadvantaged communities.

"All too often, regeneration schemes only consider one aspect of an area's well-being, without addressing all of the factors that are contributing to the problems that it is facing. As a consequence, there is little long term improvement.

"We believe that the current plethora of government initiatives and departments that are involved with regeneration serves to encourage this, with there being few schemes that genuinely address all of the problems facing an area.

"We consequently share the Foundation's recommendations that government needs to take a more joined up, multi department approach to regeneration. Such an approach would reflect the wide ranging problems that Britain's deprived communities face, and provide a far better chance of successful solutions being achieved."

Forum Response: Local Government Association

A spokeswoman for the LGA told ePolitix.com: "The LGA welcomes this report and its recommendations. The LGA is exploring with government how local Public Service Agreements can be extended more widely so that relevant local partners are signed up to a few key priorities.

"We have been talking to Whitehall about the importance of rationalising initiatives, particularly where conflicting targets and national agendas are deflecting local partners from working effectively together.

"Local Strategic Partnerships have the potential to align resources with local priorities in a completely new way, but only if national government gives the partners a greater degree of freedom from direction and assessment, and allows them to pool resources as they determine best."