West Midlands Regeneration Convention

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Centre for Local Economic Strategies
West Midlands Regeneration Convention Masterclass
Neil McInroy, Chief Executive 26th November
2007
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Outline

• Neighbourhood Regeneration to date
• Outline what has worked what has not worked?
• Outline key challenges
• Discussion on Challenges

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About CLES
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About CLES Policy Priorities

• Our Mission
• The Centre for Local Economic Strategies is a
  registered charity which is committed to places
  and communities experiencing social and economic
  inequality and lack of opportunity. We want to
  improve the effectiveness of local groups,
  agencies and government in addressing these
  problems, by informing policy and developing
  practice.

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About CLES Services

• Around 35 Members (Local Authorities,
  regeneration partnerships, third sector
  organisations, public bodies, economic
  partnerships)
• Events and Training
• Policy Bulletins and briefings
• Policy Research
• CLES European Research Network (CLES Consulting)
  Our trading arm

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About CLES Policy Priorities

• The new economy and employment
• Place shaping and local economics
• Local environment and the economy
• Future Cities

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• Neighbourhood regeneration to date

• 1979-1991-Enterprise Culture
• Problem Lack of private sector investment
• Neighbourhood Trickle down, Community excluded
• Urban Development Corporations, Enterprise ZONES,
  Action for cities
• 1991-1998 Partnership and ABI
• Problem Range of systematic problems within a
  locality
• Neighbourhood Community involved in
  partnerships, Small area focus in some instances
• City Challenge, Single Regeneration Budget,
  Housing Action Trusts
• 1998 Neighbourhood Renewal and closing the gap
• Problem Social Exclusion, inequalities
• Neighbourhood Central
• NDCs, NRF, Neighbourhood Management

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• How has it worked?

• Ongoing evaluations of most recent programmes,
  but general points
• Recent policy followed critique of ABI (Cruel
  finish, Separated from mainstream, Expensive)
• As regards NRF, NDC and NM - Some improvement and
  evidence of an engaged sector
• Success on narrowing the gap in some areas as
  regards health, crime, education, housing and
  worklessness
• Inequality remains and CSR identified problems as
  regard weak economies, high levels of
  worklessness, low skills and insufficient
  enterprise
• Overall gap between rich and poor growingbigger
  economic drivers
• Churn, Magnolia moments, and place and people
  disconnection

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• Neighbourhood Policy today

• Move away from pepper pot
• A bend to neighbourhood rather than a focus?
• Working neighbourhoods fund to replace NRF
• 2 billion towards neighbourhood and local
  renewalmore detail following new IMD by end of
  year
• Embedded in mainstream service delivery
• Onus on ability of services and agencies to
  identify and bend services
• Focus on 3 strands
• weak economies, worklessness, low skills levels
  and insufficient enterprise
• Support neighbourhoods through assets. anchor
  organisations
• Community Empowerment

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New Era Local Area Agreements

• LAAs Major tool in delivering neighbourhood
  renewal
• NRF Funding pooled as part of LAA
• Number of NRF outcomes must be included
• NRF performance framework incorporated within LAA
• Local Area Agreements to hold together partners
  aspirations
• Review of Sub-National Economic Development and
  Regeneration
• Greater flexibilities, powers and incentives for
  localities and regions
• More local and regional opportunities to respond
  to economic change
• More opportunities for local authorities and
  partners to shape place

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• Neighbourhood Policy today

• Contradictions
• Participatory democracy. Retention of community
  led regeneration/self governance (NDC, Community
  ownership of assets etc)
• Representative democracy. Enhanced role for
  Local Government, LAA, MAAs and the mainstreaming
  of neighbourhood and area activities.

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Wholly Healthy Communities approach

• A wealth and health producing society
• Focus on material and psychological needs and
  support
• Greater appreciation of the transactions between
  people, not just economic transactions
• Need to think about
• monetary economy (global, local)
• core economy

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Wholly Healthy Communities The core economy

• Invisible economy that we take part in every day
• The economy of the home, family, neighbourhood
  and community
• It is an economic system as it involves the goods
  and services and produced, exchanged and
  distributed
• Like a computer
• Operating system The core economy
• Specialised programs Hospitals, schools, civil
  society.
• The programs may be ok, but the operating system
  is struggling!

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Wholly Healthy Communities The core economy

• 87bn of unpaid care could be allocated to the
  core economy
• 40 of all economic activity takes place in the
  core economy and is not reflected in GDP
• Local, global and core are all interdependent
• A Wholly healthy Society needs a functioning
  core, local and global economies
• Core Economy produces the workforce that the
  monetary economy calls on to generate goods and
  services.
• Local/Global economy, produces other goods and
  services that we rely on for survivalfood,
  shelter, clothing, etc.

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Wholly Healthy Communities The core economy

• Problems with the interdependency
• The price mechanism affects how we value this
  activity in the core economy
• The caring professions are undervalued
• I.e Low value attached to caring for elderly,
  babysitters
• The monetary-local/global economy leaves some
  people behind
• Local and global economic strategies run counter
  to creating wholly healthy communities and places

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• Key Challenge 1. Creating successful
  neighbourhoods

• Economic success is not matched by social
  inclusion
• Twin track cities
• Retail/commercial core and doughnut
• Some neighbourhoods are getting left behind

• Local and neighbourhood economic development is a
  poor relation? Need for.
• Progressive procurement
• Embedding social values in economic drivers
• Community assets
• DISCUSSION
• HOW HOPEFUL ARE WE THAT PROBLEMS IN PRIORITY
  NEIGHBOURHOODS WILL BE ADDRESSED THROUGH EXISTING
  POLICY?

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• Key Challenge 2. Priority Neighbourhood focus to
  service delivery?

• Neighbourhood approach is now embedded within LAA
• Some neighbourhoods need more resources than
  others
• We need to erase postcode lotteries.
• We need a focussed approach but not compromise on
  equality of service
• DISCUSSION
• WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES FOR LAAs WHEN FOCUSSING
  ON NEIGHBOURHOODS?

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• Key Challenge 2. Priority Neighbourhood focus to
  service delivery?

• HOW HOPEFUL ARE WE THAT PROBLEMS IN PRIORITY
  NEIGHBOURHOODS WILL BE ADDRESSED THROUGH EXISTING
  POLICY?
• WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES FOR LAAs WHEN FOCUSSING
  ON NEIGHBOURHOODS?

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Centre for Local Economic Strategies
EMAIL. neilmcinroy_at_cles.org.uk WEB.
www.cles.org.uk PHONE. [phone]