HC Deb 11 December 1981 vol 14 cc519-20W
Mr. Freeson

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what reports have been published on the progress of the neighbourhood management schemes sponsored by his predecessor during the years 1975 to 1979;

(2) what progress has been made in the eight neighbourhood management schemes sponsored by his predecessor from 1975 to 1979; and if he will make a statement on his policy towards such schemes.

Mr. King

During the period June 1976.to June 1980 in which the Institute of Local Government Studies was commissioned by the Department to monitor the area management trial schemes, three progress reports have been published by INLOGOV. They are:

  1. (i) Area Management: Objectives and Structures. March 1977.
  2. (ii) Tackling Urban Deprivation: the contribution of area based management. December 1977.
  3. (iii) The Implementation and Development of Area Management. December 1978.

In addition various papers have been published by the authorities and members of the monitoring team.

Financial assistance to the eight schemes ended in mid-1980. Five of them are continuing. The final monitoring report "Area Management and Local Government" has recently been submitted to me by the Institute. I intend to give the Institute permission to publish.

I hope the experiences gained during the trials will be of interest to a wide range of authorities. They will be able to decide, in the light of the various reports, whether or not they wish to adopt an area management approach.