Cities which receive regeneration funding lag behind other cities
The right-wing think-tank "Policy Exchange" says that cities which have received regeneration funding have not derived any benefit from it.
Over the last 10 years they say that £30 billion has been spent on regenerating cities - which they term "urban policy" cities. The think-tank looked at 18 of those cities from Glasgow to Southampton and found that their economic performance lagged behind those of non-regenerated cities by 13% and that a decade ago they had lagged behind other cities by 10 per cent.
It goes on to say that "urban policy" cities offer fewer opportunities for employment, house prices are 30% lower and education, health and business opportunities have not improved. People are 38% less likely to register a new business in an "urban policy" city than in a successful city, pupils are 13% less likely to get 5 good GCSE's and life expectancy in "urban cities" is 20 months less than the others.
It says that two types of cities are emerging, those which are free to prosper and those dependent on regeneration funding.
The full report can be found at
http://www.policyexchange.org.uk/images/libimages/310.pdf
posted by Fighting for East Devon's future @ 3:23 pm
1 Comments:
I've often wondered how much genuine regeneration is achieved by regeneration initiatives costing millions of pounds.
Of course, it depends on what one means by 'regeneration'.
To me, regeneration is primarily an economic issue as in raising the hourly wage level in a rural area above, say, the minimum wage.
To others, it is all about having posher Town Hall offices (a thorny issue in my home area of West Somerset where my regeneration blog is set).
Or providing grants to Business Link Consultants so they can build web sites costing thousands of pounds. I suppose the money gets into the community but wonder about the lasting value.
For me, true regeneration is a community matter and much can be achieved by improving communication amongst the people of an area and building stronger communities.
An interesting side result of our new farmers market in Minehead, West Somerset is the small groups of people who now regularly gather ad hoc to debate local issues. Is it just empty debate? Or could it actually produce better local decisions?
The farmers market has enabled a local focus point where people are happy to meet and interact.
How about an arts market, a speakers corner ... Cost? Very little.
Growing small businesses is often the primary means to regenerate an area. Anybody with a small business knows how much they need people to help. There are just so many jobs to be done, many caused by legislation.
But how often do we see a regeneration policy that is really directed towards the growth and prosperity of small businesses? Or even a survey to identify what they want?
When our elected representatives are sitting in their hot seats and have their hands on several million pounds to spend, I can underestand they may reach for the safest option and buy a posh new large building.
But, I firmly believe that more can be achieved by investing at least some of the money in the people.
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