Local government has for many years been critical of the top-down nature of regeneration programmes, with too many local priorities set nationally. That local councils are now recognised by government as "community leaders", accountable to the electorate and justified in taking a co-ordinating role, has therefore been welcomed.
However, regeneration funds are dependent increasingly upon local authorities demonstrating that they have established a genuine partnership with local communities. Fail to do this and the funds will not arrive.
Regeneration programmes will only be effective in the long term if communities have a stake in identifying priorities. All areas have been asked by government to establish local strategic partnerships, bringing together the community, business and statutory sectors to achieve common objectives. Research commissioned by the Local Government Association (LGA) on social inclusion has shown that the voluntary and community sectors are involved in 93% of such partnerships.
There are also many examples of councils using innovative ways to involve local communities in partnerships. Gloucester council, for example, has taken an all-inclusive approach, whereby any organisation that signs up to the aims of the partnership can join. In the east London borough of Newham, 10 community forums have been established, each of which has a representative on the strategic partnership.
In addition, the LGA's community leadership research has shown that more than 80% of local authorities are developing, or intend to develop, community strategies at the neighbourhood level - including in some cases devolving decision-making to local people.
One of the problems has been government initiatives not allowing enough time for genuine community engagement to take place. This is only now starting to be addressed. In some areas, it may be the case that the community will want to run its own regeneration programme. In other areas, the inclination or capacity may not be there.
For local regeneration to have long-lasting community benefits, all partners have to work together to identify local needs and mainstream funding to meet those needs. This was the gist of the LGA's New Commitment to Regeneration initiative, endorsed by both the local government white paper and the Cantle report on last summer's riots in Bradford, Oldham and Burnley.
Growing numbers of local authorities have recognised the desire among community groups for self-determination and have transferred land, property and other assets to them to enable this to happen. The Wolseley Community Trust in Plymouth has been allowed to collect rents from council property which it can reinvest to provide jobs and facilities. This represents a way of moving from the top-down, grant-based culture of earlier regeneration programmes to one based on community investment.
The challenge now is to extend this approach among councils and build capacity in local communities.
Tony Rich
Policy officer, LGA environment and development group
