ANNEX
Single Regeneration BudgetThe Community
Context
18. At its inception, the SRB was hailed
as a mechanism to "shift power from Whitehall to local communities
and make Government more responsive to local needs with priorities
set locally in the light of local needs"[4].
It remains to this day an important instrument in the Government's
drive to tackle social exclusion and promote equality of opportunity.
19. The majority of SRB funding (including
new SRB Round 6 funding) goes to support large comprehensive schemes
in the most deprived areas. The Index of Local Deprivation highlights
priority community areas including a great concentration in inner
East London. The balance of SRB funding normally goes to support
schemes in areas which still have significant pockets of deprivation
but are not included in the Index.
20. Although no two regeneration initiatives
are the same, they should all profile generic regeneration strategy
characteristics including a shared vision for a defined target
area with strong inter-links with the sub-regional economic and
regeneration strategies. Central to the importance of any initiative
is the involvement of the local community. Demonstrating the mere
existence of community representatives in partnerships is no longer
enough and most bids should have capacity building as a key objective.
21. The current SRB Round 6 Bidding Guidance
explicitly states that bids "must explain how local communities
and the voluntary sector have been involved in devising and developing
the bid, what role they will have in implementing the scheme,
and what arrangements will be put in place to fund local community
projects".
22. This is "strong guidance"the
challenge ahead remains the need to break down the barriers to
putting communities at the heart of the decision-making process.
4 DoE November 1993. Back
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