A think-tank report said that the government's approach to physical regeneration of urban areas in England was not working, and that a new way forward was needed. Many projects had not 'turned around' local economies or the lives of local residents in the way that had been hoped. Decision-makers should respond to the needs of different neighbourhoods: a 'one-size-fits-all' approach to the built environment ignored varying patterns of demand for space across a city-region. Local community engagement and leadership were crucial.
Source: Chris Webber, Kieran Larkin, Lena Tochtermann, Olivia Varley-Winter and Zach Wilcox, Grand Designs? A new approach to the built environment in England's cities, Centre for Cities
Links: Report | Centre for Cities press release | Public Finance report
Date: 2010-Dec
A study examined how the benefits of regeneration might be valued, in order to provide an analytical framework that would underpin a programme of research on the value of the benefits from regeneration and how they compared with the relevant costs.
Source: Peter Tyler et al., Valuing the Benefits of Regeneration, Department for Communities and Local Government
Links: Report part 1 | Report part 2 | Summary | Technical note
Date: 2010-Dec
An article presented the findings of a national evaluation of the crime strand of the New Deal for Communities programme, focusing on geographical displacement. There was virtually no evidence of displacement around the NDC partnerships: but there was relatively widespread diffusion of benefit from the programme to neighbouring areas. Fears of policy-makers and practitioners that area-based initiatives would cause geographical displacement of social problems to nearby areas appeared to be unfounded, and diffusion of benefit seemed much more likely.
Source: Adam Whitworth and David McLennan, 'Geographical displacement or diffusion of benefit around area-based interventions? Evidence from the New Deal for Communities', People, Place & Policy, Volume 4 Issue 3
Links: Article
Date: 2010-Dec
A report examined progress up to March 2010 in implementing the Working Neighbourhoods Fund (designed to help local councils in England tackle worklessness in deprived areas). Most areas visited had directly addressed the purpose behind the Fund: but significant elements of spending in some areas had only been commissioned recently, and It could also be difficult to disentangle the 'WNF' contribution in local employment and skills strategies.
Source: Derrick Johnstone et al., Working Neighbourhoods Fund Project Study, Department for Communities and Local Government
Links: Report
Date: 2010-Dec
Researchers found that children growing up in Sure Start local programme (SSLP) areas were less likely to be overweight than comparable children in non-SSLP areas, and had better physical health. Mothers in SSLP areas reported: providing a more stimulating home learning environment for their children; providing a less chaotic home environment for their children; experiencing greater life satisfaction; engaging in less harsh discipline; experiencing more depressive symptoms; being less likely to visit their child's school for parent/teacher meetings or other arranged visits.
Source: National Evaluation of Sure Start, The Impact of Sure Start Local Programmes on Five Year Olds and Their Families, Research Report RR067, Department for Education
Links: Report | Brief | NIACE press release | Guardian report | Community Care report | Nursery World report
Date: 2010-Nov
A new book examined efforts by New Labour governments to renovate the social, political, and economic cultures of poor neighbourhoods. It said that New Labour had relied on 'problematic assumptions' about the nature, scope, and meaning of community and its relationship with individual social agents.
Source: Andrew Wallace, Remaking Community? New Labour and the governance of poor neighbourhoods, Ashgate Publications
Links: Summary
Date: 2010-Nov
Researchers examined 12 demonstration projects that implemented mixed-community approaches to area regeneration. They concluded that mixed-communities approaches should not be seen as the only possible model of regeneration, appropriate and deliverable in all areas: they were more likely to be deliverable in stronger economies and housing markets, and also where there was large-scale public land ownership.
Source: Ruth Lupton et al., Evaluation of the Mixed Communities Initiative Demonstration Projects: Final report, Department for Communities and Local Government
Links: Report
Date: 2010-Nov
Researchers examined the characteristics and quality of group childcare settings used by children in areas served by Sure Start local programmes, and the relationships between pre-school childcare quality and child outcomes.
Source: Edward Melhuish, Jay Belsky, Kristen MacPherson and Andrew Cullis, The Quality of Group Childcare Settings Used by 3-4 Year Old Children in Sure Start Local Programme Areas and the Relationship with Child Outcomes, Research Report RR068, Department of Education
Links: Report
Date: 2010-Nov
A report examined whether encouraging more mixed communities was an appropriate strategy for the regeneration of disadvantaged neighbourhoods – relative to other more 'traditional' forms of renewal and relative to 'doing nothing'. It considered the idea that substantial diversification of housing type and tenure, combined with improvements to facilities, services, and opportunities would both improve life chances for disadvantaged residents and attract new wealthier residents.
Source: Rebecca Tunstall and Ruth Lupton, Mixed Communities: Evidence review, Department for Communities and Local Government
Links: Report
Date: 2010-Nov
An article examined the efforts made by the New Labour governments (1997-2010) to revitalize deprived neighbourhoods in England. It considered the development of this policy agenda, and its aims, outcomes, and effectiveness; and it identified the factors that had constrained its success.
Source: Stephen Syrett and David North, 'Between economic competitiveness and social inclusion: New Labour and the economic revival of deprived neighbourhoods', Local Economy, Volume 25 Issue 5/6
Links: Abstract
Date: 2010-Nov
A paper examined the role that the arts and culture could play in driving local economic growth and bringing people and communities together.
Source: Bigger Thinking for Smaller Cities: How arts and culture can tackle economic, social and democratic engagement challenges in smaller cities, Regional Cities East
Links: Report | Arts Council press release
Date: 2010-Oct
An article examined the interface between policy, implementation, and use of services in the context of a multi-ethnic Sure Start programme. The depiction of parents as active and aspirational agents tapped into a 'social investment' agenda: but it conflicted with the 'constrained agency' in practice of many local mothers.
Source: Tricia Hamm, 'Examining "social investment" policy in a multi-ethnic Sure Start area: staff perspectives', Social Policy and Society, Volume 9 Issue 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2010-Oct
A paper examined regeneration policy in the light of proposals from the coalition government, the prospective public spending review, and the possible publication of a White Paper on regional economic growth. It called for a comprehensive framework of policy for social, economic, and physical improvement.
Source: Regeneration: Big Society and Localism, UK Regeneration
Links: Paper
Date: 2010-Oct
A new book examined the development of children's centres. It looked at the challenges faced by children's centres; how to tackle social issues through the medium of children's centres; achieving effective multi-agency working and true collaboration; the essentials of leading and managing children's centres; the benefits of early intervention; and how to effectively deliver healthcare, education, and children's services.
Source: Carole Beaty, Integrated Children's Centres: Overcoming barriers to truly integrated services, Routledge
Links: Summary
Date: 2010-Oct
A report said that the Communities First regeneration programme had to work better with other regeneration initiatives in order to meet the wider outcomes needed to improve the conditions of people living in the most deprived neighbourhoods in Wales.
Source: Stephen Hincks and Brian Robson, Regenerating Communities First Neighbourhoods in Wales, Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Links: Report | Summary | JRF press release | BBC report
Date: 2010-Oct
A report said that traditional approaches to community regeneration that defined communities in solely geographic terms had 'severe limitations'. It called for a new approach to community regeneration based on an understanding of the importance of social networks.
Source: Jonathan Rowson, Steve Broome and Alasdair Jones, Connected Communities: How social networks power and sustain the Big Society, Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures & Commerce
Links: Report | New Start report | Charity Times report | Guardian report
Date: 2010-Sep
An article examined the subject of community empowerment in urban regeneration and planning by: exploring the theoretical literature; reviewing recent policy pronouncements relating to community involvement in England; and discussing a recent case study of a project in London. Community empowerment was always likely to be partial, and contingent on both local circumstances and the wider context.
Source: Nick Bailey, 'Understanding community empowerment in urban regeneration and planning in England: putting policy and practice in context', Planning Practice and Research, Volume 25 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2010-Sep
An article examined the use of tenure mix as a regeneration strategy in Scotland.
Source: Kim Mckee, 'Promoting homeownership at the margins: the experience of low-cost homeownership purchasers in regeneration areas', People, Place & Policy, Volume 4 Issue 2
Links: Article
Date: 2010-Jul
A think-tank report said that government plans to encourage private enterprise by waiving national insurance contributions would not work in England's most deprived areas. Between 2002 and 2009 only 1 in 4 of all new enterprises created in England had been based in the most deprived areas, despite decades of government programmes encouraging enterprise in regions with high unemployment.
Source: Faiza Shaheen and Garry Haywood, Filling the Jobs Gap: Why enterprise-based regeneration isn't working, New Economics Foundation
Links: Report | NEF press release
Date: 2010-Jul
A report (by an official advisory body) said that enabling communities to lead local renewal projects was the most cost-effective way of delivering upgrades to the physical infrastructure – and thereby tackling climate change, securing reliable and efficient transport networks, improving health and well-being, creating a healthy natural environment, improving long-term housing supply, maximizing employment opportunities, and making communities safer and more cohesive.
Source: The Future is Local: Empowering communities to improve their neighbourhoods, Sustainable Development Commission
Date: 2010-Jul
The schools inspectorate for Northern Ireland said that 'satisfactory to good' progress had been made in the early development of Sure Start programme for children aged 2.
Source: An Evaluation of the SureStart Programme for Two Year Olds, Education and Training Inspectorate
Links: Report | NIE press release
Date: 2010-Jul
A report said that the previous Labour government's housing market renewal ('pathfinder') initiative had resulted in the destruction of thousands of terraced houses across the north of England, 'ripping the heart out of communities' and repeating the mistakes of the 1960s and 70s. It looked at how housing earmarked for demolition could instead be adapted, upgraded, and remodelled to a high standard of energy efficiency, creating a range of accommodation and forming exemplar 'eco-communities' of the future.
Source: Mark Hines Architects, Reviving Britain's Terraces: Life after Pathfinder, SAVE Britain's Heritage
Links: SAVE press release
Date: 2010-Jun
A study examined the changes that brownfield housing developments had brought to the most deprived neighbourhoods in England. The high level of brownfield reuse had succeeded in making the housing market more dynamic, particularly the market for flats, since the mid-2000s.
Source: Cecilia Wong and Andreas Schulze-Baing, Brownfield Residential Redevelopment in England: What happens to the most deprived neighbourhoods?, Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Date: 2010-Jun
A think-tank report examined what the new government's concept of the 'Big Society' meant for struggling communities in need of regeneration. It drew on the experiences of two estates that had engaged in a renewal programme involving residents, the third sector, and business. It said that supermarkets had a role to play in helping deprived communities to regenerate by reducing stigma, boosting community morale, and bringing low-cost quality produce into the area.
Source: Max Wind-Cowie, Civic Streets: The big society in action, Demos
Links: Report | Summary | NEF press release | Guardian report | New Start report
Date: 2010-Jun
A new book examined the effectiveness of the housing market renewal pathfinders (designed to arrest the collapse in prices and demand in nine areas of the north and midlands).
Source: Ed Ferrari and Peter Lee, Building Sustainable Housing Markets: Lessons from a decade of changing demand and housing market renewal, Chartered Institute of Housing
Links: Summary
Date: 2010-Jun
A literature review provided an overview of what was known about the impact of community engagement and empowerment activity within the context of regeneration. Much of the evidence identified was based on qualitative case study research and the views and experiences of those involved in regeneration programmes, rather than a more comprehensive look at the experiences and motivations of those not involved. There was a need for higher-quality evidence to more effectively determine the impact of community engagement, from both qualitative and quantitative methods.
Source: Elinor Findlay, Review of the Impact of Community Engagement Within Regeneration, Scottish Government
Links: Report
Date: 2010-May
A paper examined the new inter-connected areas of provision that were emerging in relation to training, welfare-to-work, and employment policy; and the relationship this had with the state's pursuance of its goals in regard to social cohesion and economic regeneration. The 'benign rhetoric of partnership' masked the existence of power relations at play in this field of policy reform.
Source: Alison Fuller, Lorna Unwin, David Guile and Sadaf Rizvi, Economic Regeneration, Social Cohesion, and the Welfare-to-Work Industry: Innovation, opportunity and compliance in the city-region, LLAKES Research Paper 7, Centre for Learning and Life Chances in Knowledge Economies and Societies
Links: Paper
Date: 2010-Apr
An article said that data for the New Deal for Communities areas in England for 2002-2008 showed continuing positive change – but only modest improvements against other similarly deprived comparator areas. Regeneration had been complex because of a range of 'barrier sets', of which the most insistent had been the relationship between NDC partnerships and central government.
Source: Christina Beatty, Mike Foden, Paul Lawless and Ian Wilson, 'Area-based regeneration partnerships and the role of central government: the New Deal for Communities programme in England', Policy & Politics, Volume 38 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2010-Apr
An article drew on a study of Communities First, an area-based regeneration policy in Wales, to explore barriers to community empowerment. These barriers included issues of community capacity, institutional capacity, organizational cultures, and regulatory frameworks. Such barriers could prevail even within a highly participative policy framework such as Communities First.
Source: David Adamson, 'Community empowerment: identifying the barriers to "purposeful" citizen participation', International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, Volume 30 Issue 3/4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2010-Apr
A think-tank report examined the outcome of a project based on three housing estates in England, which took a 'holistic and innovative approach' to thinking about deprivation by exploring the underlying problems keeping households in poverty. It attempted to develop a practical and effective approach that could be shared with other small estates. Regeneration strategies that focused on 'crime, grime and antisocial behaviour' failed to get to the heart of underlying problems.
Source: Mandeep Hothi and Saffron Woodcraft with Corinne Cordes and Dick Muskett, The End of Regeneration? Improving what matters on small housing estates, Young Foundation
Links: Report | New Start report
Date: 2010-Apr
A report provided a synthesis of evidence presented in the final evaluation reports from the New Deal for Communities programme in England. It considered how well the programme had met its objectives in terms of transforming the areas concerned, closing the gaps with what was happening nationally, achieving value for money, working with partner agencies, and engaging local communities.
Source: Elaine Batty et al., The New Deal for Communities Experience: A Final Assessment, Department for Communities and Local Government
Date: 2010-Mar
A report identified the factors that helped in understanding why some New Deal for Communities areas (in England), and some individuals, had seen more change over time than others.
Source: Christina Beatty, Mike Foden, Paul Lawless and Ian Wilson, Exploring and Explaining Change in Regeneration Schemes: Evidence from the New Deal for Communities Programme, Department for Communities and Local Government
Links: Report
Date: 2010-Mar
A report outlined the methodology adopted to examine area change as part of the national evaluation of the National Strategy for Neighbourhood Renewal. It focused primarily on modelling the likelihood of area transition between 2001 and 2006, and reviewed the relative importance of social, economic, and policy factors to the likelihood of change.
Source: Pion Economics with AMION Consulting, Evaluation of the National Strategy for Neighbourhood Renewal: Econometric Modelling of Neighbourhood Change, Department for Communities and Local Government
Links: Report
Date: 2010-Mar
A report outlined the strategies, resources, and interventions employed in engaging residents in New Deal for Communities areas in England. It explored the extent to which residents had been engaged and the impact of resident involvement on partner agencies, the NDC partnerships, and residents themselves.
Source: Elaine Batty et al., Involving Local People in Regeneration: Evidence from the New Deal for Communities Programme, Department for Communities and Local Government
Links: Report
Date: 2010-Mar
A report reviewed and synthesized the evidence from the evaluation of the New Deal for Communities programme in England associated with the three 'people-related' outcomes of health, education, and worklessness. There was evidence of absolute change in many people-related outcomes across the 39 areas. Virtually all indicators had moved in a positive, and often statistically significant, direction.
Source: Elaine Batty et al., Improving Outcomes for People in Deprived Neighbourhoods: Evidence from the New Deal for Communities Programme, Department for Communities and Local Government
Links: Report
Date: 2010-Mar
The final report was published of the national evaluation of the National Strategy for Neighbourhood Renewal. It looked at the nature and extent of neighbourhood deprivation, how conditions had changed since the introduction of the strategy in 2001, and the factors that had influenced those changes. The report also assessed the impact and value for money of the strategy, and concluded by drawing together lessons for future policy. It said that there was a 'sound rationale' for the continued spatial targeting of deprived areas.
Source: AMION Consulting, Evaluation of the National Strategy for Neighbourhood Renewal: Final Report, Department for Communities and Local Government
Links: Report | Summary | Annexes | Case study evidence | DCLG press release | Sheffield Hallam University press release
Date: 2010-Mar
A report outlined the net additional outputs and outcomes delivered by the New Deal for Communities programme in England over the period 1999-2000 to 2007-08. It also provided an assessment of the degree to which the programme had delivered value for money over the period 2002-2008. The programme generated good value for money – though mainly through outcomes, such as improvements in mental health and satisfaction with area, that could not easily be 'monetized'.
Source: Christina Beatty et al., The New Deal for Communities Programme: Assessing Impact and Value for Money, Department for Communities and Local Government
Links: Report
Date: 2010-Mar
A report examined the distinctive features of the New Deal for Communities 'model'. It considered the implications of developing and managing regeneration over a 10-year period, implementing a holistic approach to regeneration, and strategies for sustainability. It concluded by looking at the advantages and limitations of the NDC model.
Source: Geoff Fordham, The New Deal for Communities Programme: Achieving a Neighbourhood Focus for Regeneration, Department for Communities and Local Government
Links: Report
Date: 2010-Mar
A report reviewed and synthesized the evidence from the evaluation of the New Deal for Communities programme in England associated with the three 'place-related' outcomes of crime, community, and housing/physical environment. NDC partnerships had 'transformed' the localities concerned through the provision of improved housing, new and improved facilities, increased levels of security, and better public space.
Source: Elaine Batty et al., Making Deprived Areas Better Places to Live: Evidence from the New Deal for Communities Programme, Department for Communities and Local Government
Links: Report
Date: 2010-Mar
A report explored evidence for the impact of the National Strategy for Neighbourhood Renewal, including the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund, on educational attainment outcomes in deprived areas. There was 'consistent evidence' of positive impacts for pupils in treatment groups in both key stage 3 (age 14) and key stage 4 (age 16) outcome measures – though they were sometimes relatively small. Policy impact appeared to increase over time.
Source: Kate Wilkinson, Adam Whitworth and David McLennan, Evaluation of the National Strategy for Neighbourhood Renewal: Improving Educational Attainment in Deprived Areas, Department for Communities and Local Government
Links: Report
Date: 2010-Mar
A report by an all-party group of MPs set out priorities for urban regeneration. It recommended that public sector investment should be focused on the areas that needed it most; that business rates should be localized, and tax increment financing (TIF) introduced; that planning reform should be limited after the first year of the next government, and planning performance agreements used more; and that there should be a focus on increasing the housing supply and adjusting stamp duty to encourage greater investment in the private rented sector.
Source: Next Steps: A regeneration agenda for the next government, All-Party Urban Development Group
Links: Report | APPG press release | New Start report
Date: 2010-Mar
A report by a committee of MPs called on the government to resist short-term financial pressure to reduce the number of Sure Start centres or the range of services that they offered. Only a universal service could ensure that all vulnerable children got the access they needed; and the wide range of support and activities provided to families was a vital feature of the programme. Stable funding was essential. Most centres had been in place for less than four years, and evaluations of their impact would therefore only be meaningful over the long term.
Source: Sure Start Children's Centres, Fifth Report (Session 2009-10), HC 130, House of Commons Children, Schools and Families Select Committee/TSO
Links: Report | 4Children press release | Guardian report | BBC report | New Start report | Children & Young People Now report
Date: 2010-Mar
A report reviewed the activities undertaken by the New Deal for the Communities partnerships from the start of the programme in 1999 until early 2009 in the domain of housing and the physical environment. Impacts of the programme could be seen in terms of an increase in residents' satisfaction with their local area, and rising house prices.
Source: Ian Cole, Michael Foden, David Robinson and Ian Wilson (with others), Interventions in Housing and the Physical Environment in Deprived Neighbourhoods: Evidence from the New Deal for Communities programme, Department for Communities and Local Government
Links: Report | DCLG press release
Date: 2010-Feb
An article examined the impact of European Union funding on the development and formalization of a neighbourhood-based group situated in a regeneration area, as well as the impact of a 'community empowerment network' funded by the United Kingdom government as part of its neighbourhood renewal strategy. External initiatives restricted the autonomy and independence of community-based groups, and were often located within neighbourhoods with little reference to identifying the needs or priorities of residents.
Source: Paul O'Hare, 'Capacity building for community-led regeneration: facilitating or frustrating public engagement?', International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, Volume 30 Issue 1/2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2010-Feb
An article examined the importance in regeneration and competitiveness of 'entrepreneurship enabling' – the work of people who created the frameworks that encouraged entrepreneurial activity. It said that its role remained largely unquantified and unsung, and that policy-makers should ensure its contribution was given greater recognition.
Source: John Thompson, '"Entrepreneurship enablers" – their unsung and unquantified role in competitiveness and regeneration', Local Economy, Volume 25 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2010-Feb
A report examined the role that housing tenure played in facilitating change within deprived areas, drawing on evidence from New Deal for Communities areas. It looked at the relationship between concentrations of social housing, socio-demographic profiles of areas, and achieving change across a range of key indicators.
Source: Christina Beatty and Ian Wilson, Tenure and Change in Deprived Areas: Evidence from the New Deal for Communities areas, Department for Communities and Local Government
Links: Report | DCLG press release
Date: 2010-Feb
An article examined the development of the third sector and its relationship with social inclusion by reference to a specific case study. The capacity of third sector organizations to meet the expectations of local residents and local agencies and professionals represented real challenges. The case study illustrated the way in which such organizations shared the characteristics of small businesses: this raised important questions over the skills and capacities of those managing such projects.
Source: Veronica Coatham and Lisa Martinali, 'The role of community-based organisations in sustaining community regeneration: an evaluation of the development and contribution of Castle Vale Community Regeneration Services (CVCRS)', International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, Volume 30 Issue 1/2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2010-Feb
A report provided an overview of the nature and scale of the worklessness problem in Working Neighbourhoods Fund areas, and the strategies in place to tackle it. It also provided feedback on the early deployment of WNF and identified some learning and improvement needs.
Source: Department of Land Economy/University of Cambridge with Cambridge Econometrics and Educe Ltd, The Working Neighbourhoods Fund (WNF) Scoping Study: Worklessness and how WNF is being used to tackle it, Department for Communities and Local Government
Links: Report | DCLG press release
Date: 2010-Feb
A briefing paper described a follow-up survey of the longer-term impact of the Neighbourhood Support Fund (NSF). It said that NSF communities enjoyed a greater volume and variety of activities for young people than before the programme, and that NSF-funded organizations had managed to increase or sustain their work with young people since the programme ended. (The NSF was launched by the government in 1999 in order to re-engage disaffected young people with education, employment, or training.)
Source: Stephen Miller, Young People, the Community Organisation, and the Community, Community Development Foundation
Links: Briefing | CDF press release
Date: 2010-Feb
A report examined interventions designed to improve health outcomes for residents in New Deal for Communities areas, and explored their subsequent impact.
Source: Sarah Pearson with Elaine Batty, Beverly Cook, Mike Foden, Rachael Knight-Fordham and Jean Peters, Improving Health Outcomes in Deprived Communities: Evidence from the New Deal for Communities programme, Department for Communities and Local Government
Links: Report | DCLG press release
Date: 2010-Feb
An article examined the ways in which concepts of regeneration, sustainability, and the third sector were understood and expressed in the policy priorities of the Labour government. Although small-scale third sector organizations could play an important part in the regeneration/sustainability agenda as a result of their size, values, and flexibility, it was these values that were at risk given the underlying ideological approach of the reform agenda.
Source: Amanda Smith, 'Third sector, regeneration and sustainable communities: "rolling" with the New Labour agenda', International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, Volume 30 Issue 1/2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2010-Feb
A report examined the views of key stakeholders in eight New Deal for Communities areas that had seen considerable positive change between 2002 and 2008. Topics covered included the issues of planning ten-year strategies, the role of partners and the local community in regeneration programmes, and the impact at the local level.
Source: Geoff Fordham, Paul Lawless, Sarah Pearson and Peter Tyler, What Works in Neighbourhood-Level Regeneration? The views of key stakeholders in the New Deal for Communities programme, Department for Communities and Local Government
Links: Report | DCLG press release
Date: 2010-Feb
A report examined the experiences of resident representatives on New Deal for Communities boards. It examined how and why local people became involved in running regeneration programmes in deprived neighbourhoods, and their experiences in these roles. Respondents' experiences were largely positive, with the majority feeling that they had made a difference to their local area, and that they had been involved in the decision-making processes. Many respondents expressed their desire to take on other voluntary roles once the NDC programme ended.
Source: Mike Foden and Sarah Pearson, Running a Regeneration Programme: The experiences of resident representatives on the boards of New Deal for Communities partnerships, Department for Communities and Local Government
Links: Report | DCLG press release
Date: 2010-Feb
A report examined interventions and outcomes in the field of education under the New Deal for Communities programme.
Source: Geoff Fordham with Elaine Batty, Beverly Cook, Rachael Knight-Fordham and Sarah Pearson, Improving Attainment? Interventions in education by the New Deal for Communities programme, Department for Communities and Local Government
Links: Report | DCLG press release
Date: 2010-Feb
A report used individual-level longitudinal data to analyze the impact of the New Deal for Communities programme on educational attainment for children living in NDC areas between 2002 and 2007. Although there was little evidence of programme-wide change, significant changes in attainment could be seen in some sub-groups and in some NDC partnerships.
Source: Kate Wilkinson and David McLennan, Narrowing the Gap? Analysing the impact of the New Deal for Communities programme on educational attainment, Department for Communities and Local Government
Links: Report | DCLG press release | Oxford University press release | Telegraph report | Times Education Supplement report
Date: 2010-Feb
A report by a committee of the National Assembly for Wales said that the 'Communities First' programme – designed to tackle deprivation and improve the living conditions and prospects for people in the most disadvantaged communities across Wales – had not delivered good value for the significant amount of public money spent on it. This was largely because of weaknesses in the Welsh Government's construction and management of the programme.
Source: Communities First, Public Accounts Committee/National Assembly for Wales
Links: Report | BBC report
Date: 2010-Feb
A report examined economic deprivation in the 39 New Deal for Communities areas. It considered how NDC areas were performing compared with other deprived neighbourhoods, and whether they were narrowing the gap with more affluent neighbourhoods.
Source: Kate Wilkinson and Michael Noble, Tracking Economic Deprivation in New Deal for Communities Areas, Department for Communities and Local Government
Links: Report | Inside Housing report
Date: 2010-Jan
A report examined the economic cost of crime potentially prevented by the New Deal for Communities programme between 2000-01 and 2004-05. It also examined evidence showing that the NDC programme resulted in reduced levels of crime, and therefore reduced costs of crime.
Source: Adam Whitworth, David McLennan and Michael Noble, Crimes Occurring and Prevented in New Deal for Communities Areas: An approach to estimating the economic costs and benefits, Department for Communities and Local Government
Links: Report | Inside Housing report
Date: 2010-Jan