Welfare Reform on the Web (September 1999): Community Regeneration - UK

MAKING VOLUNTEER CONTRIBUTIONS TO REGENERATION COUNT

J. Hanna
Volunteering, no.48, 1999, p. 12-13

Argues that volunteer work should be counted as a real contribution put in by the community when "matching funding" is being assessed.

PUTTING THE SOCIAL INTO URBAN REGENERATION POLICY

N. Ginsburg
Local Economy, vol.14, 1999, p. 55-71

Social regeneration first came onto the policy agenda in the late 1960s and early 1970s but withered away during the Thatcher years. Recently a revived movement for social regeneration has emerged, supported by a considerable body of literature and local experience. While there is some commitment to social regeneration in the Labour government, it is uncertain whether the existing local governance of neighbourhood regeneration has the capacity to take social regeneration on board as a central strategic element in programme planning and implementation. It is also doubtful whether taxpayers will be prepared to fund social regeneration on the scale needed to reverse the decline of poor neighbourhoods

SOCIAL EXCLUSION AND URBAN POLICY: IDENTIFYING DEPRIVED COMMUNITIES

P. Lee
New Economy, vol.6, 1999, p. 102-106

Argues that a consistent measure of deprivation is needed, which can be regularly updated to gauge changes in the level of deprivation and the success of regeneration intiatives. Additionally, a contract between government and all deprived areas should be established to avoid leaving desperate communities to fight over scraps.

URBAN REGENERATION AND MENTAL HEALTH IN LONDON

P. Hoggett and others
London: King's Fund, 1999

Report calls for increased integration of urban regeneration initiatives and local mental health services. An analysis of several initiatives criticises attempts to tackle mental ill-health as "too narrow", focusing on the care and treatment of only the most severely mentally ill people. Outlines a range of initiatives from community safety campaigns to stress management classes which can and do contribute both to the well-being of communities and to the mental health of those who live in them. Highlights a number of possible vehicles for intervention including Health Action Zones and London's 65 Priority Community Regeneration Areas.

VOLUNTEERING AND PEOPLE POWER: MUM'S THE WORD

B. Campbell
Volunteering, no.48, p. 8-10

Discusses the role of volunteering in developing and strengthening pauperised communities. Voluntary organisations are driven by government policy that wants them to be the solution to social problems as defined by politicians. Alongside formal voluntary organisations, there is a proliferation of self-help groups almost exclusively organised by mothers.

WELFARE MODELS AND APPROACHES TO EMPOWERMENT: COMPETING PERSPECTIVES FROM AREA REGENERATION PROGRAMMES

M. Mayo with J. Anastacio
Policy Studies, vol.20, 1999, p. 5-21

Study set out out explore differing and contested definitions of empowerment in the context of area regeneration programmes which aimed to promote it. On the basis of interviews with participants, three definitions of empowerment were identified. Empowerment was defined in terms of:

• gaining the information, knowledge and skills necessary for effective consultation;
• acquiring the ability to define priorities and set agendas for community initiatives;
• acquiring the ability to set wider agendas for social change.