A major research project funded by the prestigious Joseph Rowntree Foundation has confirmed what residents in poor neighbourhoods have known for years: the complex new partnership arrangements of local government can't fix the small things that make life miserable. The researchers' proposal: a nationally-coordinated good practice web site. I don't think so.... but a citizen-coordinated bad practice site might help.
The project "Representating neighbourhood environmental concerns within Local Strategic Partnerships" , headed by Dr Karen Lucas, concluded:
Despite considerable policy focus on the renewal of Britain's poorest neighbourhoods, the dirty and neglected appearance of many deprived areas continues to plague local residents, often appearing at the top of their list of local concerns.
Residents in poor neighbourhoods have repeatedly raised concerns about the condition of their local environments in consultation exercises. Anti-social behaviour, busy roads, inadequate and irregular street cleaning and rubbish collection are of particular concern.
The researchers suggest that "Local Strategic Partnerships would benefit from guidance on how to build 'environment' into existing structures. They should develop more transparent and accountable local delivery mechanisms. This would be greatly assisted by a nationally co-ordinated website that could collate and disseminate good practice initiatives."
I profoundly disagree. I don't think council officers or elected representatives will take time out of to search a web site for examples of what other people have done in the hope they can translate that into a local solution. They'll be too busy putting together their funding bids for iconic regeneration projects.
I think that the best hope for local people is some good old-fashioned campaigning backed up by whatever media they can use. Since local papers are unlikely to be interested, it may be that some 'name and shame' on a neighbourhood web site, with good pictures and interviews might help. It then wouldn't be too difficult to put together a national bad practice gateway site and unveil it in time for Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott's grandiose Urban Summit in Manchester early next year, producing some bottom-up collective leverage for action from the delegates (cost: £650 a head). I'd be glad to help. I wonder if JRF would too.
Why not host the campaign on iCan?
Posted by: Julian | November 26, 2004 at 01:04 PM