§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what eligibility criteria are applied to select local authorities for urban programme status;
(2) if he will make a statement on the reasons for his decision not to confer urban programme status on Pendle.
§ Mr. Robin SquireIn 1986, urban programme resources were concentrated on 57 local authority areas which had the greatest needs in terms of scale and intensity of deprivation as measured mainly by unemployment and 1981 census data. At that time, Pendle did not show either the scale or intensity of deprivation to justify urban programme status. The criteria for assessing urban needs will be reviewed towards the end of the year in the light of data derived from the 1991 census.