HC Deb 18 July 1974 vol 877 cc649-52
14. Mr. David Steel

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement outlining his programme to deal with the urban situation.

Mr. Roy Jenkins

Yes, Sir. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and I intend to consult local authority and other interests on a new strategy for tackling the problems of those living in the most acutely deprived urban areas. I am circulating an outline of the approach in the OFFICIAL REPORT. It involves the preparation and subsequent implementation by selected local authorities, in collaboration with all those concerned, of comprehensive community programmes containing an analysis of the needs of the area considered as a whole and proposals for meeting them. These programmes are to be developed through a series of trial runs, and financial arrangements will be discussed with the local authorities.

Mr. Steel

The Home Secretary's announcement will be warmly welcomed, particularly in view of the fact that the Chairman of the Community Relations Commission—Mr. Mark Bonham Carter—has recently said that a co-ordinated programme is urgently needed to deal with the mass of growing problems in the inner cities. Are the Government to apply to the European Social Fund for some financial help which may be available in this excellent enterprise?

Mr. Jenkins

I do not understand that that is involved in the financial preparations for this exercise, but we should be only too glad to receive appropriate funds to help in dealing with the major problem of acute deprivation in certain cities. What is envisaged is an important move forward in the co-ordination of strategy. I hope that in the near future it will be possible to get two projects going in Scotland and three or four in England and Wales.

Mr. Ashley

I welcome my right hon. Friend's answer, but will he give an assurance that he will liaise closely with my hon. Friend the Minister of State dealing with urban affairs in implementing the scheme, bearing in mind the outstanding work which has already been done by the Minister of State?

Mr. Jenkins

Yes, indeed. The responsibility for co-ordinating strategy on these matters of deprivation and urban poverty rests on the Home Secretary, but I certainly join in my hon. Friend's tribute to the work which my hon. Friend the Minister of State has done. We shall certainly keep in touch with him and with the other Departments concerned. This is intended essentially to be a co-ordinated strategy, bringing Whitehall Departments more closely together than hitherto.

Mr. Lane

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the Government's intention to carry on with what we were preparing in this field will be very welcome? Will he consider, as one of the next steps, the possibility of developing an action programme of special help for, say, three urban areas of the most deprived sort, of which one could be in London, one in Birmingham and one in Liverpool? Will he keep this in mind as a possibility?

Mr. Jenkins

I shall keep it in mind as a possibility. I do not wish to be committed to exact areas at the moment, but I shall consult closely with local authorities.

Following is the information:

Following an interdepartmental study led by the Urban Deprivation Unit of the Home Office, the Government propose to initiate trials, in selected local authority areas, of a new strategy for assessing and meeting the needs of those who live in the most deprived urban areas. Local authority and other interests will be consulted. The aim is to tackle more effectively the problems of those who, in addition to suffering individual or household deprivations, such as low income, unemployment, mental or physical hardship, and so on, are subject to the poorest physical and environmental conditions and the least satisfactory levels and quality of services.

A selected number of local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales whose jurisdictions include areas of the most acute urban deprivation would be invited to prepare "Comprehensive Community Programmes" (CCPs). The areas affected would each be of about 10,000 population, and would be identified from an analysis of indices of deprivation and from discussion with local authorities. The CCP would identify the whole range of economic, social, and physical or environmental problems of the area and propose action to deal with them focussing on what could be achieved within five years. The CCP would be submitted to the central Government for approval and financial assistance, the detailed arrangements for which would be discussed with the local authorities.

Preparing, implementing and monitoring the effectiveness of CCPs will involve an active partnership between central Government, regional health and water authorities, local authorities, voluntary bodies and residents.

The essential feature of the approach is that the needs of those living in the areas in question would be considered as a whole and not solely by reference to the specific responsibilities of the various agencies concerned with providing the services necessary for meet ing these needs, for example, training, legal advice, education, housing, health and welfare services, and so forth.

This approach is concerned with the administrative processes for dealing with a situation that the Government regard as requiring a new strategy; it is intended to make use of and build on current projects arising from the development of other important elements in the Government's policies for dealing with poverty and urban problems such as the studies of the "cycle of deprivation", the inner area studies and the community development projects.

In order to associate all those concerned with the development of this new strategy, it is proposed, with the co-operation of the local authorities and other interests to undertake a series of trial runs of the CCP approach in four or five areas in England and Wales and two in Scotland.