§ Mr. Tony BanksTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give details of the total bids received from local authorities under the city challenge initiative; and what criteria he uses to make choices on the distribution of resources.
§ Mr. KeyIn May 1991 my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment invited 15 local authorities to bid for resources under the first, pilot round of the city challenge initiative: Barnsley, Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Lewisham, Liverpool, Manchester, Middlesbrough, Newcastle, Nottingham, Salford, Sheffield, Tower Hamlets, Wirral and Wolverhampton. Barnsley was invited to work together with Doncaster and Rotherham in the preparation of a joint bid covering the Dearne Valley. In addition to the 15 invited authorities, six others submitted bids: Coventry, Newham, Sandwell, St. Helen's, Stockton and Sunderland.
In July 1991 the Secretary of State announced that 11 authorities would be invited to work up their bids into five-year action plans for their areas: Bradford, Barnsley (with Doncaster and Rotherham), Lewisham, Liverpool, Manchester, Middlesbrough, Newcastle, Nottingham, Tower Hamlets, Wirral and Wolverhampton.
Subject to the preparation of satisfactory action plans and the availability of resources, the Government intend to commit £82.5 million in resources to these areas over five years starting in 1992–93.
The criteria used in making choices on the distribution of resources include assessments of the needs of urban areas and their potential for regeneration, the quality of the bids received, the subsequent preparation of satisfactory action plans and the capacity of local authorities and their partners in city challenge effectively to implement the action plans.