Neighbourhood Renewal (NR) is about improving the quality of life for people in the most deprived areas across England, with a particular focus on the 88 local authority areas in receipt of Neighbourhood Renewal Fund.
Neighbourhood Renewal aims to “narrow the gap” between these disadvantaged areas and the national average, and ensure that within ten to twenty years, no one should be disadvantaged because of where they live.
There are now many Neighbourhood Renewal initiatives, with all partners involved working more and more closely together. At the heart of these initiatives are two measurable goals:
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to secure lower worklessness and crime, better health, educational attainment, housing, a better physical environment and liveability, with progress measured against a range of set targets
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to narrow the gap between the poorest neighbourhoods and the rest
Delivering these targets is the responsibility of Communities and Local Government, working alongside the Government Offices. Communities and Local Government leads on policy development and its interpretation, as well as providing advice and support to delivery partners. Government Offices work in support of the front line delivery agents and partners, managing and monitoring the individual programmes.
GOs also have a key role in ensuring NR targets link strongly to Local Public Service Boards (PSBs) and Local Area Agreements (LAAs) as well as responding to local and national priorities.
The GOs role in the wider LAA process is to provide partners with a point of contact with central government and ensure that the focus of the agreement is on achieving better outcomes.
Government Offices are responsible for:
- overseeing the New Deal for Communities and Neighbourhood Management pathfinders programmes, (the NMPs via the LAA process)
- supporting and developing Local Strategic Partnerships and Neighbourhood Renewal Strategies
Monitoring Neighbourhood Renewal Fund
