§ Mr. JenkinsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what proportion of single regeneration budget money under rounds one to four was targeted on schemes in non-conurbation localities which have areas of multiple deprivation comparable with conurbation areas; and if he will make a statement. [75308]
§ Mr. MealeSupport from the SRB is given to partnerships under a bidding process which includes a competitive element. Bids are judged against programme objectives and assessment criteria given in a Bidding Guidance for each round. SRB (Challenge Fund) Rounds 1 to 4 are under way with over 600 regeneration schemes 243W being supported. The table gives an estimate of the proportion of SRB Rounds 1–3 resources by seven groupings.
Area type Total SRB spend rounds 1–3 estimated £million Percentage of total SRB spend London Borough 822 26 Metropolitan Cities and Districts 1,289 41 Non-metropolitan Cities 313 10 Districts with industrial areas or new towns 429 14 Resort, port and retirement 126 4 Urban and rural-urban mixed 83 3 Remoter mainly rural 65 2 England 3,127 100 Note:
The estimates for rounds 1–3 are based on data from an exercise carried out by the University of Cambridge as part of their evaluation of the SRB—'The distribution of SRB CF Expenditure in relation to Local Area Needs in England' and which was published in March 1998. A similar analysis for Round 4 funding is not yet available.
§ Mr. JenkinsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what steps he is taking to tackle the causes of social and economic decline in(a) conurbation localities, (b) non-conurbation localities and (c) rural areas. [75309]
§ Mr. MealeFollowing the Comprehensive Spending Review, my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister set out details of the New Deal for Regeneration in his Housing and Regeneration Policy statement on 22 July 1998, which will receive over £3 billion over the next three years. This included a reshaped Single Regeneration Budget (SRB) with about 80 per cent. of new SRB resources targeted on the most deprived areas, based on the 1998 Index of Local Deprivation. SRB resources may contribute to schemes also supported by European funding, including Structural Funds. Also there is a new programme, the New Deal for Communities, which combats social exclusion through focused and intensive neighbourhood renewal, in the most deprived neighbourhoods.
English Partnerships promote job creation, inward investment and environmental improvement by bringing derelict, vacant and contaminated land back into productive use.
Rural areas benefit from resources directed through the SRB. The Rural Challenge Fund previously managed by the Rural Development Commission (RDC) has been incorporated into the SRB and bids covering rural areas will be eligible for SRB support. In addition, the RDC's rural regeneration programmes continue to support a variety of regeneration projects in the rural development areas designated by the RDC, as do English Partnerships and European structural funds in Objective 5b areas. The Government will be setting out their policies for rural England in a White Paper to be published later in the year.
The regional activities of English Partnerships, the administration of the SRB and the RDCs' rural regeneration programmes will transfer to new Regional Development Agencies on 1 April 1999 (from April 2000 in London).
244WThe Government strongly support the Local Government Association's New Commitment to Regeneration initiative which is seeking a more co-ordinated and flexible approach to regeneration in 22 pathfinder areas through the preparation of comprehensive regeneration strategies for their areas.
The Government will be setting out their policies for cities and towns in an Urban White Paper to be published later this year.