Consultation on regeneration processes and policy across UK aims to map priorities and streamline funding

Ministers plan to focus on 'real-life' measures about improving people's lives rather than bricks and mortar targets for regeneration funding. This is so communities get more than a cosmetic facelift and are helped to unlock their potential and take responsibility for their own regeneration.

Transforming Places; changing lives: a framework for regeneration is a consulation setting out a package of proposals for consultation that aim to shape the way that regeneration is carried out in future in England. It focuses on three priority outcomes:    

• improved economic performance in deprived areas
• improved rates of work and enterprise in deprived areas; and
• creating sustainable places where people want to live and can work, and businesses want to invest

In future, funding will be more tightly targeted at tackling economic challenges and on outcomes not processes. This would favour schemes that help boost enterprise, give people the skills to work, promote better health, and attract business investment - so communities take responsibility for the long term. Knock on benefits might include tackling anti-social behaviour and creating more harmonious communities.

Building on last week's White Paper, the proposals would also shift more power to local people. New 'priority maps' would map out regeneration priorities to steer funding and inform residents where money is spent, and decisions on how to regenerate would be devolved to regions, towns and villages. Maps will help focus and bring together investment from Whitehall, regions and the private sector on strengthening the local economy and improving prospects for residents, so for example, investment in housing and environmental improvements will be linked to residents' economic chances.

Speaking at a conference in London, Communities Secretary, Hazel Blears said: 'We want long-lasting regeneration that will help people and  neighbourhoods to take responsibility and enable everyone to rise as  far as their talents can take them.

The consultation Transforming places, changing lives proposes:

• A renewed focus on helping people to reach their potential, bringing together economic, social and physical regeneration under a shared vision to meet the needs of communities.
• A focus on outcomes rather than outputs - to ensure that regeneration activities are measured by the outcomes they achieve, rather than the processes they follow.
• A stronger focus on promoting work through regeneration - focusing on tackling the underlying economic causes of decline, ensuring that places can reach their potential by moving communities and individuals from dependence to independence.
• Efforts to increase and stimulate investment from the private sector, by defining clear regeneration priorities and geographies, raising confidence, and making places more attractive to make long term investment commitments. Understanding the impact of current economic conditions will be crucial in shaping regeneration policy. A study on The Impact of the Credit Crunch on Regeneration will run in parallel to the consultation on this framework.
• To continue to bring housing and tackling worklessness closer together so that housing associations and local authorities can help more to tackle worklessness in social housing. A Housing Reform Green Paper later this year will set out proposals to help and encourage people living in social housing towards greater economic independence and social mobility, matching responsibility with opportunity to help meet their potential and make better use of resources.
• New and improved partnership working between local authorities, Regional Development Agencies, and the new Homes and Communities Agency so that homes are connected to jobs.