What is Neighbourhood Renewal
Over the last 40 years we have seen the gap between poorer neighbourhoods and better off neighbourhoods widen. A New Commitment to Neighbourhood Renewal – National Strategy Action Plan sets out the Government's policies to narrow this gap wherever it occurs in England. A key element of the strategy is the improvement of mainstream services to produce better outcomes in the areas where the gap is widest. This means increased employment and improved economic performance, reduced crime, better educational attainment, improved health and better housing.
To achieve these improvements, the Government, local authorities and other service providers need to reallocate resources in their mainstream programmes to narrow the gap between the worst and better neighbourhoods and tackle deprivation better.
What is the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund?
The Neighbourhood Renewal Fund (NRF) aims to enable England's 88 most deprived authorities, in collaboration with their Local Strategic Partnership (LSP), to improve services, narrowing the gap between deprived areas and the rest of the country.
Following Spending Review 2000, the Government set targets for improved outcomes by public services in deprived neighbourhoods. The targets mean that Government departments, local authorities and other service providers are being judged for the first time on their performance in the areas where they are doing worst - not on the national average. The Spending Review 2004 refined and added additional targets to those set in 2002.
The Neighbourhood Renewal Fund will provide £3.0 bn over the seven yearas years 2001/02 to 2007/08. (£200 million in 2001/2002, £300 million in 2002/2003 and £400 million in 2003/2004, £450 million in 2004/5, £525million in 2005/6, £525million in 2006/7 and £525million in 2007/8.
No decisions have been taken yet on how the NRF resources for 2006/7 & 2007/8 will be allocated. Ministers will want time to consider all the options in the light of SR04 before making any decisions later in the year. The new NRF resources do not in any way affect the NRF allocations already announced as part of SR02 for 2005-06. SR04 merely confirms these allocations.
Local Authorities individual allocations
NRF is a targeted grant that can be spent in any way that will tackle deprivation in the most deprived neighbourhoods. The grant is intended as time-limited funding to facilitate the more effective, long-term targeting of mainstream resources. Particularly, but not necessarily exclusively, in relation to the floor targets, local targets identified in the Local Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy(LNRS) or broader Community Strategy and other deprivation-related Government targets, agreed by each of the LSPs.
What is a Local Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy (LNRS)?
The preparation of a Local Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy (LNRS) is a key task for the LSPs in 88 areas receiving Neighbourhood Renewal Fund (NRF). These strategies provide the strategic aims and targets for tackling deprivation and other key areas identified by the partnership, whilst contributing to national targets for tackling deprivation.
What should a LNRS contain?
There is no prescribed format, each varies according to local circumstances and needs. However, each strategy should:
- set out an agreed vision and plan for positive change in all neighbourhoods in need of renewal;
- have the agreement and commitment of all the key people and institutions who have a stake in the neighbourhood, or an impact on it;
- clearly set out a local strategic framework for local public bodies plans and priorities; set challenging targets for improving local services, taking into account local and national priorities;
- set challenging targets for improving local services, taking into account local and national priorities;
- establish systems for monitoring delivery of locally agreed targets; and
- include actions to equip those involved in neighbourhood renewal with the skills and knowledge they need to take forward this agenda.
Central to the success of LNRSs is the commitment from local public sector bodies to the delivery of the priorities and targets set out in the LNRS. It is also essential that LSPs develop systems to monitor delivery of agreed targets and challenge poor performance.
How do LSPs monitor performance?
The LSP Accreditation Guidance placed a duty on all LSPs in the 88 NRF areas to establish a Performance Management Framework (PMF) to monitor the delivery of locally agreed targets and priorities. An effective framework enables the LSP to monitor progress on delivery, as well as to track the broad range of activities across the LSP network. It provides a framework to ensure better transparency and accountability on implementation and delivery.
What is the relationship between LNRSs and Community Strategies?
Part 1 of the Local Government Act 2000 places a duty on ALL local authorities to prepare Community Strategies the production of LNRSs is a key function of the LSPs in the 88 NRF areas.
Community Strategies have been developed to have an impact on the whole local authority district; whereas LNRS’s have been developed in order to make improvements to the most deprived priority neighbourhoods. Both Community
Strategies and LNRS’s should be developed with the agreement of local people and other service providers (whose activities have an impact on an area), working through a LSP.
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