Welfare Reform on the Web (March 2003): Community Regeneration and Development - UK

BENDING THE SPEND

S. Scotland and N. Haddock

Public Finance, Jan. 10th-16th 2003, p. 28-29

In order to direct funding for regeneration to pockets of deprivation, service providers may have to divide up previously centralised budgets geographically. Article describes how the London Borough of Camden approached this problem of locality budgeting.

ENGAGING COMMUNITIES IN AREA-BASED REGENERATION: THE ROLE OF PARTICIPATORY EVALUATION

L Dobbs and C. Moore

Policy Studies, vol. 23, 2002, p.157-171

Policy makers and practitioners have become concerned to facilitate the involvement of local people in area-based regeneration initiatives. Article describes a number of projects undertaken in Tyneside which sought to encourage community involvement in evaluation by employing, training and supporting local residents to carry out a range of baseline and impact surveys.

MODERNIZATION, NEIGHBOURHOOD MANAGEMENT AND SOCIAL INCLUSION

H. Sullivan

Public Management Review, vol. 4, 2002, p. 505-528

Article explores the role of neighbourhood based policies in combating social exclusion. It is argued that the combination of the New Labour National Strategic Action Plan for neighbourhood renewal and proposals for democratic renewal have the potential to promote social inclusion by effecting change in the systems that impact upon civil, economic, social and interpersonal integration. The experience of neighbourhood programmes in one English city suggests that intervention by a variety of stakeholders is essential if sufficient capacity to support all aspects of social inclusion is to be assembled.

NEIGHBOURHOOD RENEWAL IN LONDON: THE ROLE OF FAITH COMMUNITIES

T. Drummond

Crucible, Oct-Dec 2002, p. 231-237

Faith communities could develop a role in both the delivery of community based services and local policy-making. New services could be funded through the governments Neighbourhood Renewal Programme (NRP). A contribution to policy-making could be made through the Local Strategic Partnerships established by local authorities in receipt of NRP funding.

PROFITING FROM POVERTY

H. Palmer and P. Conaty

New Economics Foundation, 2002

Predatory lending is stripping out money from poor neighbourhoods. In this report, the New Economics Foundation considers why debt is big business in Britain. It points out:

• A typical APR charged and doorstep loan of £100 paid back over 52 weeks is 164%. On short six-week loans of £60, APRs are typically 500%;
• the UK has no statutory ceiling on the amount of interest that can be charged on a loan;
• one in five adults in the UK is denied access to mainstream credit from banks;
• less than 1% of the UK population used a credit union, which typically charges 1% interest.