An evaluation of the final three years of the Neighbourhood Support Fund programme (1999-2005) focused on the community-based nature and community development ethos of the projects. It said that even community groups who might not already work with young people could do so, and were often best placed to provide these services.
Source: Gavin Bailey, The Neighbourhood Support Fund: Final Evaluation Report, Community Development Foundation (020 7226 5375)
Links: Report | CDF press release
Date: 2006-Dec
An audit report said that most Sure Start children s centres failed to identify the most disadvantaged families in their areas and offer them support. Only a minority actively targeted 'hard-to-reach' groups.
Source: Sure Start Children s Centres, HC 104 (Session 2006-07), National Audit Office, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report | NAO press release | DfES press release | NCH press release | Guardian report | BBC report | Children Now report
Date: 2006-Dec
A collection of case studies from the Neighbourhood Support Fund programme (1999-2005) showed that the perceived obstacles to working with young people could be overcome, and that community organizations could effectively integrate their work with young people into wider community development work.
Source: Gavin Bailey and Kate Jones, Our Kids, Our Community, Community Development Foundation (020 7226 5375)
Links: Report | CDF press release
Date: 2006-Dec
A study examined the nature of social exclusion in deprived neighbourhoods, and the use of people-based 'soft' regeneration strategies to revitalize them. Soft regeneration could improve residents quality of life, but was unlikely to transform disadvantaged areas. Individuals benefited: but some used their enhanced skills and employment prospects to enable them to move elsewhere.
Source: David Page, Respect and Renewal: A study of neighbourhood social regeneration, York Publishing Services for Joseph Rowntree Foundation, available from York Publishing Services Ltd (01904 430033)
Links: Report | JRF Findings
Date: 2006-Dec
An audit report said that pathfinders working within the government's housing market renewal programme (designed to tackle declining demand for housing in the North and Midlands) needed to improve their understanding of the relationship between affordable housing for rent and other tenures, in the face of low house values.
Source: Housing Market Renewal, Audit Commission (0800 502030)
Links: Report | Audit Commission press release
Date: 2006-Dec
Revised practice guidance for Sure Start children's centres said that managers should do more to get marginalized families to use their services. There should be a greater emphasis on outreach and home visiting.
Source: Sure Start Children's Centres Practice Guidance, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Guidance | DfES press release | Children Now report
Date: 2006-Dec
Researchers examined approaches to evaluation in community regeneration in Scotland. It was essential that future evaluations should establish clear central or common guidance and detailed advice on identifying baseline, input, and outcome indicators (and crucially, agreed proxies to be used where there were gaps in information) at or before the start of the programme.
Source: Ronald McQuaid, Malcolm Greig and Colin Lindsay, Approaches to Evaluation in Community Regeneration, Communities Scotland (0131 313 0044)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Dec
A discussion paper examined the key issues of governance and management which had emerged during the first phase of the roll-out of children's centres and extended schools.
Source: The Governance and Management of Extended Schools and Sure Start Children's Centres, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Discussion paper | Letter
Date: 2006-Nov
Researchers examined the extent and characteristics of extended services being provided by maintained primary schools throughout England in 2006. 16 per cent provided the full childcare offer, and 48 per cent of the rest said that they planned to do so within the next two years. After-school provision had increased from a high 2005 base by 4 percentage points to 91 per cent. There had been an increase of 13 percentage points, from 40 per cent in 2005 to 53 per cent in 2006, in the proportion offering before-school care. Since 2005, there had been an increase in the proportion offering holiday care from 26 per cent to 43 per cent.
Source: Nicholas Gilby, Tara Mackey, Jo Mason, Anna Ullman and Sam Clemens, Extended Services in Primary Schools in 2006, Research Report 809, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Date: 2006-Nov
An audit report said that better links between schools, local services, and communities could be mutually beneficial. Children's underachievement was often linked to deprivation, so improvements to the local community could help improve schools' performance. In turn, communities could benefit from better schools, both through the improved life chances of their children, and through new facilities or additional services that could be used by the whole neighbourhood.
Source: More Than the Sum: Mobilising the whole council and its partners to support school success, Audit Commission (0800 502030)
Links: Report | Audit Commission press release | Children Now report
Date: 2006-Nov
A report highlighted the success of the 27 Liveability Fund pilot areas in raising the quality of life for their communities. Effective user and neighbourhood involvement were key, for both large- and small-scale initiatives. (The Liveability Fund was set up in 2003 to test how improving the local environment and public services could improve liveability and raise the quality of life as a whole.)
Source: Seeing Is Believing, Improvement and Development Agency (020 7296 6693)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Nov
A report gave a positive evaluation of a project designed to develop resources for improving public neighbourhood play spaces and services for children and young people.
Source: Haki Kapasi, Neighbourhood Play and Community Action, National Children s Bureau (020 7843 6029) for Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Date: 2006-Nov
A study questioned the idea that community participation built stronger networks between people who lived in the same neighbourhood. It examined whether community dynamics and relationships could in fact make good governance hard to achieve. Tenants' associations, school boards, and community projects were being dominated by the same small group of well-connected members.
Source: Paul Skidmore, Kirsten Bound and Hannah Lownsbrough, Community Participation: Who Benefits?, York Publishing Services for Joseph Rowntree Foundation, available from York Publishing Services Ltd (01904 430033)
Links: Report | JRF Findings | JRF press release
Date: 2006-Nov
An article examined the issue of engagement in antenatal parent education for women living in deprived areas, focusing on the findings of a local evaluation of a Sure Start parent education programme. The Sure Start service had been beneficial for those involved, and resulted in improved levels of engagement: but it only reached a small proportion of the eligible population. The article also discussed the issue of professional resistance from mainstream services.
Source: Charlotte Pearson and Miranda Thurston, 'Understanding mothers' engagement with antenatal parent education services: a critical analysis of a local Sure Start service', Children & Society, Volume 20 Number 5
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-Nov
A report examined outreach and home visiting services in Sure Start local programmes. The prime aim of outreach services in most SSLPs had been to gain the confidence of families, to assess with them what they would find most helpful, and to get them to participate regularly in the relevant Sure Start services.
Source: Mog Ball and Lisa Niven, Outreach and Home Visiting Services in Sure Start Local Programmes, Research Report NESS2006FR017, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Date: 2006-Nov
A report examined the ways in which Sure Start local programmes had helped parents to feel that they had an increased sense of control over their lives. There was substantial evidence that SSLPs had empowered individual parents, so that they felt less isolated, more valued (especially as mothers), and more confident in their parenting activities.
Source: Fiona Williams and Harriet Churchill, Empowerment in Sure Start Local Programmes, Research Report NESS2006FR018, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Date: 2006-Nov
An article used data from the 2001-2005 national evaluation of the New Deal for Communities to explore change across the programme; drivers of mobility; and change at the partnership level. Barriers operating at the neighbourhood, city-wide, and national levels had impacted on the implementation of the programme.
Source: Paul Lawless, 'Area-based urban interventions: rationale and outcomes: the new deal for communities programme in England', Urban Studies, Volume 43 Number 11
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-Oct
Researchers examined how community regeneration professionals negotiated the conflicting interests and attitudes of local residents and institutional actors (such as management and local politicians), while dealing with problems raised by greater 'managerialism' - short-term targets, competition for funding, and bureaucratic burdens.
Source: Paul Hoggett and Chris Miller, Negotiating Ethical Dilemmas in Contested Communities, Economic and Social Research Council (01793 413000)
Links: Report | ESRC press release
Date: 2006-Oct
A report examined how neighbourhood management pathfinders had 'added value' to the process of promoting safer neighbourhoods through preventing crime, solving crimes, reducing the fear of crime, and tackling anti-social behaviour in their neighbourhoods. (The pathfinders were designed to test out a new model of neighbourhood management.)
Source: SQW Ltd, Joining up for Safer Neighbourhoods: A theme report from the neighbourhood management pathfinder programme national evaluation, Neighbourhood Renewal Unit/Department for Communities and Local Government (020 7944 8383)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Oct
A report presented the preliminary findings of household surveys conducted in the neighbourhood management pathfinder areas in 2003 and again in 2006, showing how these areas had changed over that time. The general picture was largely a positive one. Overall, residents were more satisfied with their local areas, were more inclined to think that their areas were improving, and were more likely to think that local crime and environmental problems were being dealt with. (The pathfinders were designed to test out a new model of neighbourhood management.)
Source: SQW Ltd, Neighbourhood Management: An Overview of the 2003 and 2006 Round 1 Pathfinder Household Surveys, Neighbourhood Renewal Unit/Department for Communities and Local Government (020 7944 8383)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Oct
The government announced a new requirement for Sure Start children's centres to evaluate the services that they provided, to ensure they were responsive to the needs of the most disadvantaged groups; and a new requirement for every centre to run a home visiting and outreach programme for parents of all new babies.
Source: Press release 5 October 2006, Department for Education and Skills (0870 000 2288)
Links: DfES press release | NCH press release | Daycare Trust press release | 4Children press release | Children Now report
Date: 2006-Oct
The Housing Corporation launched a neighbourhoods and communities strategy, designed to encourage social housing providers to build strong relationships with local government and residents; become involved in local strategic partnerships; and promote social enterprise to help 'unblock' people?s long-term dependency on benefits.
Source: Neighbourhoods and Communities Strategy, Housing Corporation (020 7393 2000)
Links: Strategy | Housing Corporation press release | NHF press release
Date: 2006-Oct
A report examined how neighbourhood management pathfinders had sought to work with and influence housing services, affecting both social housing and private housing. (The pathfinders were designed to test out a new model of neighbourhood management.)
Source: SQW Ltd, Housing: A theme report from the neighbourhood management pathfinder programme national evaluation, Neighbourhood Renewal Unit/Department for Communities and Local Government (020 7944 8383)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Oct
A report examined how neighbourhood management pathfinders had worked with and influenced services for young people, particularly those aged 11-19. (The pathfinders were designed to test out a new model of neighbourhood management.)
Source: SQW Ltd, Neighbourhood Management and Services for Young People: A theme report from the pathfinder programme national evaluation, Neighbourhood Renewal Unit/Department for Communities and Local Government (020 7944 8383)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Oct
An article examined the findings from the reports of the National Evaluation of Sure Start, published in November 2005. It said that the research evaluation had been well conducted, but that the findings were inconclusive.
Source: Michael Rutter, 'Is Sure Start an effective preventive intervention?', Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Volume 11 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-Sep
An article said that targeted policies for example, local regeneration initiatives faced intrinsic difficulties as vehicles for social inclusion. In order to promote greater equality of access to opportunity, they needed to be supported by a wider commitment to distributive justice.
Source: Nick Ellison and Sarah Ellison, 'Creating "opportunity for all"? New Labour, new localism and the opportunity society', Social Policy and Society, Volume 5 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-Sep
The first evaluation report was published of the Welsh Assembly Government?s 'Communities First' programme (designed to tackle social disadvantage in the poorest communities by empowering individuals and communities to work with local service providers). It said that the WAG was right to prioritize investment in capacity-building of local community organizations and groups. The main obstacle to progress was a lack of partnership working with agencies who were responsible for local services - there had been no evidence so far of the long-term changes in mainstream programmes that would lead to service provision in deprived areas being more effective in resolving local issues.
Source: Danny Burns et al., Interim Evaluation of Communities First: Final Report, Welsh Assembly Government (029 2082 5111)
Links: Report | Report (Welsh)
Date: 2006-Sep
The High Court upheld a challenge to a compulsory purchase order sanctioning the acquisition and demolition of 500 homes to make way for a road scheme and new housing under the 'Pathfinder' initiative. It said that there had been an impermissible 'watering down' of the statutory requirement that a CPO could be made only if the land affected was 'under-used or ineffectively used'. The CPO also breached the claimant's human rights because the state had tried to take her home by a process which was not 'according to law'.
Source: Pascoe v Secretary Of State for Communities and Local Government, Urban Regeneration Agency, and Liverpool City Council, High Court 27 September 2006
Links: Text of judgement | Guardian report | Times report
Date: 2006-Sep
A report warned that brownfield redevelopment projects (such as those in the Thames Gateway and Greater Manchester) were failing to create sustainable communities. There was a danger of creating transient communities, where residents commuted long distances to work, and might end up only staying in the area for a short period. Lack of infrastructure such as transport, schools, and health facilities could hinder successful redevelopment; and there was an overemphasis on flats at the expense of family-friendly housing.
Source: Tim Dixon with Yasmin Pocock and Mike Waters, The Role of the UK Development Industry in Brownfield Regeneration: Stage 2, Volume 3, Department of Real Estate and Construction/Oxford Brookes University (01865 484202)
Links: Summary | Oxford Brookes press release | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Aug
A report was published, aimed at ensuring that local councils did not waste money trying to regenerate an area without working with local people.
Source: Closer to People, Local Government Association (020 7664 3000)
Links: Report | LGA press release
Date: 2006-Jul
An article reported a study which found no overall differences in school attainment between users of Sure Start programmes and non-users. However, in one of the four local areas examined, users' outcomes were consistently worse.
Source: Justine Schneider, Alan Ramsay and Shelagh Lowerson, 'Sure Start graduates: predictors of attainment on starting school', Child: Care, Health and Development, Volume 32 Issue 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-Jul
A report said that the worst-first social welfare approach to regeneration was increasingly shown to be unsuccessful in the longer term. The policy should be replaced by a new socio-economic model, which aimed to proactively boost and capture land and property value for the public good.
Source: Julie Cowans, Cities and Regions of Sustainable Communities: New strategies, Town and Country Planning Association (020 7930 8903)
Links: Report | TCPA press release
Date: 2006-Jul
A study drew on a growing body of evaluation studies to identify effective practice in regeneration, and to isolate success factors. It said that economic factors, such as levels of investment and proximity to strong labour markets, had tended to be neglected by policy-makers and practitioners alike.
Source: Martin Yarnit, Area Regeneration in England: Is There a Success Formula?, PASCAL Observatory c/o University of Stirling (01780 358 9722)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Jul
A report examined changes in 260 Sure Start Local Programme areas between 2000-01 and 2003-04. There were fewer children aged 0-3 living in homes completely dependent on benefits in SSLP areas (down 3.8 per cent to 40.4 per cent) - this was a significantly greater drop than in England as a whole (where the figure fell by 1.2 per cent to 22 per cent). There was also a greater reduction in relation to children aged 0-17 living in households in receipt of income support.
Source: Jacqueline Barnes et al., Changes in the Characteristics of SSLP Areas between 2000/01 and 2003/04, Research Report NESS/2006/FR/016, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Date: 2006-Jul
An article examined the role of strategy in supporting effective partnership working in public services, focusing on the 'health action zones' initiative.
Source: Helen Sullivan, Marian Barnes and Elizabeth Matka, 'Collaborative capacity and strategies in area-based initiatives', Public Administration, Volume 84 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-Jun
Four linked reports examined how sustainable employment could be used as a route out of poverty and social exclusion for deprived local communities.
Source: David North, Stephen Syrett, Melvyn Evans, Ian Sanderson and Colin Williams, The Economies of Deprived Neighbourhoods: Summary of research, Department for Communities and Local Government (0870 1226 236) | David North and Stephen Syrett, The Dynamics of Local Economies and Deprived Neighbourhoods, Department for Communities and Local Government | Ian Sanderson, Worklessness in Deprived Neighbourhoods: A review of evidence, Department for Communities and Local Government | Melvyn Evans, Stephen Syrett and Colin Williams, Informal Economic Activities and Deprived Neighbours, Department for Communities and Local Government
Links: Report 1 | Report 2 | Report 3 | Report 4
Date: 2006-Jun
A think-tank report said that government attempts to boost business activity in deprived areas had had disappointing results. Instead of trying to boost enterprise in every deprived area, future business-led regeneration programmes should focus on "business-deprived" areas.
Source: Liz Troni and Tracy Kornblatt, City Markets: Business location in deprived areas, Institute for Public Policy Research, available from Central Books (0845 458 9911)
Links: Summary | IPPR press release | FT report
Date: 2006-Jun
An article reported previously published research which found that although the Sure Start programme was benefiting some poor families, the most deprived families did worse in areas covered by the scheme.
Source: Jay Belsky, Edward Melhuish, Jacqueline Barnes, Alastair Leyland and Helena Romaniuk, 'Effects of Sure Start local programmes on children and families: early findings from a quasi-experimental, cross sectional study', British Medical Journal, 24 June 2006
Links: Article | Abstract | Guardian report
Date: 2006-Jun
An audit report examined 'housing market renewal pathfinders' (partnership-led projects designed to take forward new approaches to tackling low demand and abandonment in parts of England). It recorded a "whole range of ongoing concerns" about the delivery of the market renewal agenda.
Source: Market Renewal: Urban Living, Audit Commission (0800 502030)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Jun
A report called for a national framework to join together the wide range of regeneration programmes and economic initiatives. It also identified a need to provide better connexions between national and local initiatives.
Source: Paul Jess, Towards a National Strategy for Regeneration, British Urban Regeneration Association (0800 0181260)
Links: Report | BURA press release
Date: 2006-May
A report said that housing associations were among the most successful and financially strong organizations working in the 'third sector'. Their work went beyond building and managing homes to providing community and neighbourhood services.
Source: Richard Evans and Richard Meegan, Up Your Street: Housing associations and the neighbourhoods and communities agenda, Housing Corporation (020 7393 2000)
Links: Report | Housing Corporation press release
Date: 2006-May
An article examined 'strategic' working within local regeneration partnerships in Scotland. It highlighted tensions between the goals of delivering services and co-ordinating the activities of partner agencies, and called for a more realistic approach to what could be expected of local partnerships.
Source: Suzi Macpherson, 'Promoting 'strategic' working within area-based and thematic social inclusion partnerships in Scotland', Local Economy, Volume 21 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-May
The Prime Minister reportedly said that both the Sure Start scheme for children under 5, and policies for children in care, had failed socially excluded groups. He said that the government had "not yet found a way of bringing the shut-out into mainstream society".
Source: The Guardian, 16 May 2006
Links: Guardian report (1) | Guardian report (2)
Date: 2006-May
A report represented the views of a panel of residents and workers directly involved with neighbourhood renewal on ways of improving participation in local decision-making.
Source: James Morris, Removing the Barriers to Community Participation, National Community Forum (020 7944 8844)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-May
A report examined the main messages from research findings in order to discover what central government policy could do to make the neighbourhoods agenda work on the ground. All local strategic partnerships should be required to have a community development strategy that mapped support for community groups, showed how community engagement would be supported, and set clear targets.
Source: Marilyn Taylor and Mandy Wilson, The Importance of the Neighbourhood: Tackling the implementation gap, Joseph Rowntree Foundation (01904 629241)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-May
A report examined developments in regeneration funding, and their implications for both financial institutions and central and local government. It recommended that the government should give more attention to new regeneration funding models. It also called for an end to the ?plethora? of agencies which the government had established or endorsed to help deliver its regeneration policies.
Source: Stephen Gruneberg, Effective Regeneration Action: Finance and regeneration, Labour Finance & Industry Group, available from Central Books (0845 4589910)
Links: Summary | LFIG press release
Date: 2006-May
A report by a committee of MSPs said that deprivation policies had existed in varying guises over many years: but there were still too many areas in Scotland characterized by concentrations of multiple deprivation. Although there had been regeneration success stories, in other areas change had been limited or partial. It called for the establishment of a single fund to combat deprivation.
Source: Cross-cutting Expenditure Review of Deprivation, 5th Report 2006, SP Paper 536, Scottish Parliament Finance Committee, available from Blackwell's Bookshop (0131 622 8283)
Links: Report | SP press release
Date: 2006-Apr
The government announced a review of the best way of organizing the functions of the regeneration agency, English Partnerships, and the housing delivery agency, the Housing Corporation. The review would consider how any new agency could deliver new housing and attract private investment; and whether any functions could be devolved from central government.
Source: House of Commons Hansard, Written Ministerial Statement 19 April 2006, columns 8-9WS, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Hansard | ODPM press release
Date: 2006-Apr
The government announced that it had exceeded its target agreed in the 2002 spending review for Sure Start children's centres to provide services to at least 650,000 children under five and their families by 31 March 2006. On that day there were 836 Sure Start children's centres offering integrated services to around 657,000 children.
Source: House of Commons Hansard, Written Ministerial Statement 18 April 2006, columns 2-3WS, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Hansard
Date: 2006-Apr
The Northern Ireland Executive published an action plan for tackling disadvantage in deprived communities in working class Protestant areas.
Source: Renewing Communities: The government s response to the report of the taskforce on Protestant working class communities, Department of Social Development/Northern Ireland Executive (028 9082 9372)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Apr
An article reported comparative research aimed at assessing whether new approaches to regeneration significantly influenced democracy and transparency, and met the needs of previously excluded groups. It said that more autonomous local government and greater civil society participation might still be needed to meet local expectations.
Source: Anna Cento Bull and Bryn Jones, 'Governance and social capital in urban regeneration: a comparison between Bristol and Naples', Housing Studies, Volume 43 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-Apr
An article drew on a study of registered social landlords in Scotland to explore the role and impact of housing organizations in developing social capital in deprived communities.
Source: John Flint and Ade Kearns, 'Housing, neighbourhood renewal and social capital: the case of registered social landlords in Scotland', European Journal of Housing Policy, Volume 6 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-Apr
A report examined debates around new localism and the issues facing the regeneration sector. It said that a rationalization of new initiatives, quangos and delivery vehicles would be welcomed by the regeneration sector.
Source: Local Government, New Localism and the Delivery of Regeneration, British Urban Regeneration Association (0800 0181260)
Links: BURA press release
Date: 2006-Mar
A methodological study highlighted the importance of displacement and associated issues for the housing market renewal pathfinders as they developed and implemented their strategies and monitoring/evaluation frameworks.
Source: Assessing the Impact of Housing Market Renewal (HMR) Pathfinder Interventions: Displacement Issues, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (0870 1226 236)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Mar
A report said that the 35 neighbourhood management pathfinders (designed to give residents an opportunity to improve local services and make them more responsive to their needs) were a "valuable tool" in regenerating deprived areas: but it warned that the approach was in danger of being a missed opportunity unless its value was recognized.
Source: SQW Ltd et al., Neighbourhood Management: At the Turning Point?, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (0870 1226 236)
Links: Report | Summary | ODPM press release
Date: 2006-Mar
A report evaluated 'single local management centres' - established by the government to explore whether innovation and success in reducing bureaucracy were possible without guidance, direction and resources from central government. The centres had had a positive impact overall.
Source: Eileen Lepine, Lucy Grimshaw, Craig Johnstone, Hilary Russell and Murray Stewart, The National Evaluation of Single Local Management Centres, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (0870 1226 236)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Mar
A study examined, from a theoretical perspective, the circumstances and conditions under which regeneration funding might be justified on economic grounds. Specifically, it investigated the possibility of efficiency gains from regeneration policy, rather than equity gains.
Source: An Exploratory Assessment of the Economic Case for Regeneration Investment from a National Perspective, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (0870 1226 236)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Mar
A report presented six case studies of current neighbourhood management initiatives from around England, drawn from outside the pathfinder programme of 35 neighbourhood management partnerships.
Source: SQW Ltd et al., Alternative Approaches to Neighbourhood Management: 6 full case study reports, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (0870 1226 236)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Mar
A report sought to identify ways in which an expansion in the ownership and/or management of physical assets by communities could be promoted and supported, so as to further the objectives of the neighbourhoods agenda.
Source: Communities Taking Control: Final report of the cross-sector work group on community ownership and management of assets, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (0870 1226 236)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Mar
An article said that housing stock transfer organizations had a pivotal role in accessing funding for the social and economic regeneration of their communities.
Source: Pauline Card and Jane Mudd, 'The role of housing stock transfer organisations in neighbourhood regeneration: exploring the relationship between regeneration, new localism and social networks', Housing Studies, Volume 21 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-Mar
The government announced (in the 2006 Budget) that it would carry out a review of the future role of the voluntary and community sector in social and economic regeneration.
Source: Budget 2006: A strong and strengthening economy - Investing in Britain s future, Cm 968, HM Treasury, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report | HMT press release
Date: 2006-Mar
A report examined how local authorities and the neighbourhood management pathfinders had approached the mainstreaming and roll-out of the neighbourhood management function.
Source: SQW Ltd et al., Rolling Out Neighbourhood Management: A theme report from the pathfinder programme national evaluation, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (0870 1226 236)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Mar
A report examined the level of resources spent by Sure Start local programmes from 1999-2000 to 2003-04, and the way in which those resources were spent. There were large differences in expenditure per child between different local programmes, even when they were fully operational. There was strong evidence of economies of scale: small programmes spent more per head overall, more on non-service costs, and more on each key service than did medium-sized and larger programmes.
Source: National Evaluation of Sure Start, Cost Effectiveness of Implementing SSLPs: An interim report, Research Report NESS2006FR015, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Feb
A report examined the services and projects for older people that had been funded in disadvantaged communities in Scotland through the Better Neighbourhood Services Fund. The value of funding allocated to older people s services was comparatively small, representing just 7 per cent of the total 90 million budget - despite guidelines highlighting older people as potential beneficiaries of BNSF services.
Source: Liz Shiel, Ian Clark and Francesca Richards, Older People s Services in the Better Neighbourhood Services Fund, Scottish Executive (web publication only)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Feb
An article said that there was little evidence of the impact of national urban regeneration investment on socio-economic or health outcomes. Where impacts had been assessed, these were often small and positive: but adverse impacts had also occurred.
Source: Hilary Thomson, Rowland Atkinson, Mark Petticrew, and Ade Kearns, 'Do urban regeneration programmes improve public health and reduce health inequalities? A synthesis of the evidence from UK policy and practice (1980 2004)', Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, Volume 60 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-Feb
A report examined key sources of data on neighbourhood renewal. The datasets were organized by theme, with sections on population, multiple deprivation, and low income, together with sections on each of the six key neighbourhood renewal floor target areas employment and enterprise, education and skills, health, housing, crime and community safety, and liveability.
Source: Tom Smith, Stefan Noble and Chris Dibben, Data Provision for Neighbourhood Renewal, Neighbourhood Renewal Unit/Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (020 7944 8383)
Links: Report | ODPM press release
Date: 2006-Feb
An article said that the assumption that planned provision of supportive environments would improve levels of physical activity, health and lifestyle might not be true if the developments did not take account of community concerns regarding personal safety.
Source: Tanya Trayers et al., 'Improving health through neighbourhood environmental change: are we speaking the same language? A qualitative study of views of different stakeholders', Journal of Public Health, Volume 28 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-Feb
A report examined approaches to regeneration policy, focusing on how government and communities could work together to address complex challenges of deprivation, inequality and exclusion.
Source: Matthew Jackson and Victoria Bradford, Delivering Regeneration: The Challenges, British Council (0161 957 7755)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Feb
A paper said that the 'Excellence in Cities' initiative (designed to raise standards in inner-city schools) had had a positive impact on school attendance and performance in mathematics (though not for English). There was marked heterogeneity in the effectiveness of the policy: its greatest impact had been in more disadvantaged schools, and on the performance of middle-high ability students within these schools. The policy appeared likely to be cost-effective.
Source: Stephen Machin, Sandra McNally and Costas Meghir, Excellence in Cities: Evaluation of an Education Policy in Disadvantaged Areas, Institute for Social and Economic Research/University of Essex (01206 873087)
Links: Paper
Date: 2006-Feb
A policy statement by the Scottish Executive on regeneration included a commitment to work more closely with the private sector to remove barriers to action and bring a more strategic and focused approach.
Source: People and Place: Regeneration policy statement, Scottish Executive, available from Blackwell's Bookshop (0131 622 8283)
Links: Statement | Summary | SE press release | COSLA press release
Date: 2006-Feb
An article provided a comparative perspective on urban regeneration strategies through an analysis of two distinct institutional designs for revitalizing deprived urban neighbourhoods - neighbourhood management in Britain and the 'r gies de quartier' model in France.
Source: David Clark and Rebekah Southern, 'Comparing institutional designs for neighbourhood renewal: neighbourhood management in Britain and the r gies de quartier in France', Policy & Politics, Volume 34 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-Jan
A research report sought to build understanding of the progress that New Deal for Communities partnerships were making towards succession strategies - ways to ensure that improvements made, and mechanisms to bring about further improvements, were sustained at the end of the ten-year funding period.
Source: Shared Intelligence, New Deal for Communities Succession Strategies, Neighbourhood Renewal Unit/Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (020 7944 8383)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Jan
A report provided a synthesis of evidence and analysis that had been emerging from the evaluation of the New Deal for Communities programme. It looked at the evidence of change for individuals, cross-sectional area-based change, and change across the six programme themes (crime, education, health, housing and the physical environment, community, and worklessness).
Source: Christina Beatty, Mike Foden, Paul Lawless, Sarah Pearson and Ian Wilson, Transformational Change? A synthesis of new evidence 2008-09, Department for Communities and Local Government (web publication only)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Jan
A report examined experiences in major housing estate transformation projects. It could be easier to make physical improvements to homes and the layout of an estate than to tackle the underlying reasons why communities had gone into decline. Environmental improvements alone might not be enough to regenerate areas unless there were a co-ordinated approach to improving access to jobs, boosting residents' skills levels, and tackling health inequalities.
Source: John Thornhill (ed.), Transforming Estates, Chartered Institute of Housing (024 7685 1700)
Links: Report | CIH press release | Inside Housing report | Local Government Chronicle report
Date: 2006-Jan
An article said that the justification for housing market renewal had shifted from a specific concern with low housing demand and abandonment to a more generalized modernization agenda seeking the restructuring of low-income neighbourhoods.
Source: Stuart Cameron, 'From low demand to rising aspirations: housing market renewal within regional and neighbourhood regeneration policy', Housing Studies, Volume 21 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-Jan
A report drew on evidence from the experiences of the 39 New Deal for Communities areas in relation to residential mobility, and examined the impact of mobility on outcome change.
Source: Christina Beatty, Paul Lawless, Sarah Pearson and Ian Wilson, Residential Mobility and Outcome Change in Deprived Areas, Department for Communities and Local Government (web publication only)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Jan
A report presented new data from the 2008 New Deal for Communities household survey, and tracked change from previous surveys. It compared progress in NDC areas with that in comparator areas, parent local authorities, and England as a whole. It focused on change in relation to the six key themes of the NDC programme: education, health, crime, community, worklessness, and housing and the physical environment.
Source: Christina Beatty, Mike Foden, Paul Lawless and Ian Wilson, An Overview of Cross-Sectional Change Data 2002-2008, Department for Communities and Local Government (web publication only)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Jan
A report presented information on the amounts and types of funds spent within New Deal for Communities areas between 1999 and 2007 on housing and the physical environment, crime, education, health, worklessness, and the community; and it evaluated additional expenditure and outputs from the programme.
Source: Peter Tyler, Angela Brennan and Colin Warnock, The NDC Programme: Outputs and Expenditure Over the Period 1999-2007, Department for Communities and Local Government (web publication only)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Jan
A report examined the potential of applying the 'configurational comparative' approach to questions around community involvement in regeneration, and used empirical material from the national evaluation of the New Deal for Communities programme to explore the institutional context behind variation in community involvement across a range of neighbourhoods.
Source: Rob Macmillan with Fran Marshall, Promoting Community Involvement Through Regeneration: Exploring the configurational comparative approach, Active Citizenship Centre/Home Office (duncan.prime@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk)
Date: 2006-Jan
A report examined how the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund (NRF) contributed to neighbourhood renewal over the three years 2003-2006. Although stakeholders were generally positive in their assessment of how the NRF had helped to meet floor targets, there was a strong view that the potential impact of the Fund on these issues was highly unlikely to be significant (given the size of the Fund in relation to mainstream budgets).
Source: Georgina Cowen and Matt Wilton with Graham Russell and Peter Stowe, Impacts and Outcomes of the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund, Department for Communities and Local Government (web publication only)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Jan
An audit report said that England's former coalfields were a story of renewal and growth. Programmes had transformed the physical environment of the coalfields, and helped to rebuild coalfield economies. But the gap between these areas and the rest of the country had widened, and many coalfields remained among the most deprived areas in England.
Source: A Mine of Opportunities: Local authorities and the regeneration of the English coalfields, Audit Commission (0800 502030)
Links: Report | Audit Commission press release
Date: 2006-Jan
A study examined social fragmentation within English housing estates and deprived neighbourhoods, focusing on the way in which social fragmentation interacted with community cohesion, community safety, and neighbourhood policing.
Source: Social Fragmentation in English Housing Estates, Housing Corporation (020 7393 2000)
Links: Summary
Date: 2006-Jan
An article examined how regeneration affected health, and how successive urban policy evaluations had sought to measure such impacts. The process and difficulties of conducting the review raised significant questions about policy formulation and evaluation.
Source: Rowland Atkinson, Hilary Thomson, Ade Kearns and Mark Petticrew, 'Giving urban policy its 'medical': assessing the place of health in area-based regeneration', Policy & Politics, Volume 34 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2006-Jan
A report described the experience of using participatory appraisal to facilitate community involvement in regeneration work.
Source: No More Sticky Dots: Making progress with participatory appraisal in Salford, Oxfam GB (01865 313184)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Jan
A report examined issues of worklessness in the New Deal for Communities areas. It considered evidence on the scale and dynamics of worklessness across the programme as a whole, and variations between the individual NDC areas. It considered separately the issues of unemployment and economic inactivity among residents of these deprived areas, as well as looking at supply-side barriers to employment and demand in the local economy.
Source: Christina Beatty, Richard Crisp, Mike Foden, Paul Lawless and Ian Wilson, Understanding and Tackling Worklessness Volume 1: Worklessness, employment and enterprise – Patterns and change, Department for Communities and Local Government (web publication only) | Christina Beatty, Richard Crisp, Mike Foden, Paul Lawless and Ian Wilson, Understanding and Tackling Worklessness Volume 2: Neighbourhood level problems, interventions, and outcomes, Department for Communities and Local Government
Links: Report part 1 | Report part 2
Date: 2006-Jan
A report examined the challenges associated with raising educational attainment for deprived children living in New Deal for Communities areas, including their dispersal among local schools, the quality of these schools, and the impact of local levels of residential mobility on attainment.
Source: Adam Whitworth, Kate Wilkinson, David McLennan, Michael Noble and Chelsie Anttila, Raising Educational Attainment in Deprived Areas: The challenges of geography and residential mobility for area-based initiatives, Department for Communities and Local Government (web publication only)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Jan
A report examined data from the longitudinal component of the household surveys conducted in the New Deal for Communities and comparator areas in 2002, 2004, and 2006 as part of the evaluation of the NDC programme. It provided a longitudinal perspective on outcome change in these deprived areas and identified who had experienced the most change over time, and differences between NDC and panel members in the amounts of change experienced. It identified associations between change across themes and factors that explained variations between NDC areas in the amount of change experienced.
Source: Christina Beatty, Mike Foden, Mike Grimsley, Paul Lawless and Ian Wilson, Four Years of Change? Understanding the experiences of the 2002-2006 New Deal for Communities Panel, Department for Communities and Local Government (web publication only)
Date: 2006-Jan
A report said that there had been "very substantial progress" in implementing the Skills and Knowledge Programme (designed to bring about a step-change in the level of skills and knowledge for all those involved in neighbourhood renewal, and to ensure that everyone involved in neighbourhood renewal had the support they needed).
Source: EDuce Ltd with Makesfive Ltd, Seeking the Lessons: Skills and Knowledge Programme Evaluation, Neighbourhood Renewal Unit/Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (0870 1226 236)
Links: Report
Date: 2006-Jan