§ Mr. LoveTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) if he will list the annual expenditure of the current programme of pathway networks in local authorities in Greater London; what are the objectives of the programme; and if he will make a statement; [53568]
(2) if he will list the criteria for qualification as a locally-driven initiative in future regeneration activity; and if he will make a statement on the role of pathway networks in developing comprehensive local strategies for regeneration and on the relationship between those local partnerships and the RDAs. [53905]
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§ Mr. CabornThe information is as follows:
New Deal for Regeneration
Under the new deal for regeneration, locally driven initiatives will be developed by inclusive local partnerships and will:
enhance the employment prospects, education and skills of local peopleaddress social exclusion and enhance opportunities for the disadvantaged through community developmentpromote sustainable regeneration, improving and protecting the environment and infrastructureimprove the quality of life of local people and their capacity to participate in regeneration activitiesencourage more effective integration of programmes through partnerships and the involvement of local communities and voluntary groupssupport and promote growth in local economies and businesses Further details of the arrangements for local partnership led initiatives will be included in the Bidding Guidance for the re-shaped Single Regeneration Budget due to be published in the near future.Bids will have to show how they fit with other new area-based initiatives and strategies Regeneration partnerships will have to make clear the linkages between housing, regeneration and other initiatives and demonstrate that their local strategies complement the regional strategies that the Regional Development Agencies will develop.
Pathway Partnerships
The East London and Lea Valley Objective 2 Programme Monitoring Committee agreed that the programme should be implemented through a range of existing local and regional partnerships. As part of this process Strategic and Pathway Partnerships evolved to implement parts of the programme. There are no formal qualification criteria other than that they should be representative, accessible and that their procedures in relation to the identification of potential projects should be fully transparent. A number of area based and thematic strategic partnerships have been formed as a result of this process, including 14 community led Pathway Partnerships. The Objective 2 Monitoring Committee has recognised the value of these partnerships and has resolved to strengthen their role in future bidding rounds. However, at this stage there have been no discussions concerning the future of these partnerships in relation to the activity of the RDA.
Pathway Partnerships are based in areas of acute urban deprivation within the East London and Lea Valley Objective 2 area. £952,000 has been made available from ERDF funds and matched by local authorities; a total of £1.7 million of support has been provided to date. The Pathway Partnerships are made up of representatives from the local community, voluntary, public and the private sector. Each Pathway has drawn up a regeneration strategy for the local area and is in the process of identifying projects for support from Priority 4 of the Objective 2 fund which targets community economic development.
610WThe table shows the name of the Pathway Partnerships, the Borough they are situated in and the amount of grant agreed to date.
£ Pathway Partnership London Borough Total Grant Heart of Hackney Hackney 130,500 Hackney Wick Hackney 49,300 Hoxton and Shoreditch Hackney 31,900 Haggerston Hackney 78,300 Edmonton Enfield 70,000 Bridging the Gap Newham 100,000 Tottenham Community Haringey 60,000 Little Ilford Development Partnership Newham 16,800 Green Street Newham 83,000 Canning Town West Ham Newham 66,000 Stratford Newham 51,450 Tower Hamlets West Tower Hamlets 78,904 Tower Hamlets East Tower Hamlets 55,450 Central Stepney and Locksley Tower Hamlets 80,626 Total 952,230