Over £250m will be made available over the next two years, and is in addition to the £230m announced in April for this year. This funding means that the 39 New Deal for Communities partnerships will have received £2bn over the 10-year programme. A recent study looked at the impact of New Deal for Communities on their local areas between 2001-02 and 2005-6. It found that:
- 57 per cent of people believe that New Deal for Communities has improved their area, up from 33 per cent
- In 2005 37% of students from New Deal for Communities areas attained at least 5 high level GCSEs - up from 26% in 2002
- Areas with New Deal for Communities partnerships have benefited from reduced crime and reduced fear of crime - including a 30% drop in household burglary rates between 2000-01 and 2004-05
- 355,000 places have been taken up by young people on youth inclusion and diversionary projects
New Deal for Communities areas substantially out-perform other similarly deprived areas on public satisfaction with the areas as a place to live, the environment, and the extent to which neighbours look out for each other.
Revised allocations for 2008-09 and indicative total allocations for 2008-11 (including those for Bristol and Plymouth) are set out in the document below:
