§ Rev. Martin SmythTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what progress has been made in implementing the Urban White Paper for neighbourhood renewal and its impact on the inner cities. [36981]
§ Ms KeebleThe Urban White Paper "Our towns and cities: the future" set out the Government's vision of a better quality of life for all in urban areas. We have provided an account of progress to date as well as the key objectives we aim to deliver on over the next two years in a six-monthly Implementation Bulletin. The next edition is due to be issued in March 2002. We also have an Implementation Plan which tracks progress on all 198 new initiatives and policies in the White Paper. Both documents can be found at www.regeneration.dtlr.gov.uk/policies/ourtowns/action.
The Urban White Paper promised that in 2002 Ministers across Government would host an Urban Summit. This will take place on 31 October and 1 November at the ICC in Birmingham. The Summit will provide the opportunity to establish and reconfirm the Government-wide commitment to urban renaissance, identify and celebrate progress by individual towns and cities, underline that there is much to do and identify where further action is needed and evaluate the recommendations of the White Paper.
The Government's vision for neighbourhood renewal was set out in the Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy Action Plan, launched by the Prime Minister in January 2001. It aims to deliver economic prosperity, safe communities, high quality schools, decent housing, and better health to the poorest parts of the country.
The approach will focus main Government Programmes explicitly on deprived areas, many of which are located in inner-city areas, and will require local people and public and private sectors to work in partnership. The strategy is being spearheaded by the Neighbourhood Renewal Unit, a cross-cutting unit based in DTLR and staffed by officials from across Whitehall and the public sector, with secondees from the private and voluntary sector. The Unit has started to roll-out the Government's 10 to 20-year commitment to turn round our most deprived areas.
Further information on the National Strategy for Neighbourhood Renewal, including updates on progress, can be found on the Neighbourhood Renewal Unit website: www.neighbourhood.dtlr.gov.uk.