§ The Minister for Social Exclusion and Deputy Minister for Women (Mrs. Barbara Roche)Neighbourhood renewal is about reversing the spiral of decline in our most disadvantaged neighbourhoods and raising the standard of public services in the places which need them most. It involves working with local communities to deliver economic prosperity and jobs, safer streets, good education, decent homes and better health, as well as fostering a new sense of community among residents. This can be achieved by encouraging better partnerships at the local level and through a major investment of resources to drive change.
Our aim is thriving and sustainable communities, where people are being empowered to improve their quality of life. Local people are therefore working with the public, private and voluntary sectors to tackle the problems of deprived neighbourhoods, and bring about a step change in the way local services are planned and delivered. Over the last 2 years, £500 million of Neighbourhood Renewal Fund resources have supported this work. As a result of progress so far, entitlement to a further £400 million is today being confirmed for 88 deprived communities across the country. The final neighbourhood renewal fund allocations and spending conditions will be subject to Parliamentary approval later this month.
Making sure public services work better over the long term in deprived neighbourhoods, is vital to building sustainable communities. Lasting change can be delivered by shaping and resourcing public services for the task, and making them focus on the places and people most in need of support. The neighbourhood renewal fund is being used to initiate this process and local communities have already benefited from a range of actions to improve living conditions.
In Wythenshawe in Greater Manchester, for example, NRF has funded the youth contact team to worked with local partners to run environmental clean ups, and a football tournament as well as taking part in outreach work on the streets, leading to an overall reduction of almost 40 per cent. in youth nuisance and an 18 per cent. reduction in recorded crime. In Portsmouth, over 50 dedicated coaching staff have been funded in 18 schools to improve the quality of teaching and learning. In Halton in Cheshire, a new approach and improved technology for dealing with benefits claims has reduced processing times from eight weeks to less than a fortnight.
Equally important to the lasting renewal of neighbourhoods, is the engagement of local communities in identifying local priorities and needs, and developing solutions for their area. Through the establishment of local strategic partnerships, local people have been brought together with local authorities and other public service providers, to plan for a step change in the way local services are delivered. £53 million was made available over the last two years to support community and voluntary sector involvement in renewal. Networks have been set up to 34WS strengthen the sector's voice in the planning and delivery of services, building communities where people want to live, not leave.
Progress over the last year means that that today I can announce the re-accreditation of the local strategic partnerships in all 88 areas. This allows the delivery phase of their plans, and will bring real change on the ground.
Over the next year, service providers must continue to work with local communities to strengthen plans for improving services and meet challenging targets for improving living conditions in the worst neighbourhoods. In order to ensure results on the ground, we will support partnerships over the next year through their full access to £400 million of NRF, and by improving skills, driving performance by service providers and empowering local people to participate in this process. Ensuring real change in the way public services are delivered will be the priority for partnerships over the year ahead.
I will make a more detailed announcement in due course on how the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, will monitor and drive delivery by local partnerships. This will include ensuring that accreditation of partnerships is streamlined. I will also make an announcement shortly on the future distribution of and priorities for the additional £975 million of neighbourhood renewal fund resources, and related Community Programme funding, for 2004ȓ05 and 2005–06.