‘Local partnerships need more time’

A regeneration expert has warned that the government could begin
“going backwards” if it was to implement the recommendations of a
critical report on area-based regeneration initiatives.

Rupa Sarker, project officer at umbrella regeneration organisation
Urban Forum, said the urban affairs select committee’s report was
“disappointing”.

The report, which was released last week, criticised regeneration
programmes, saying that initiatives had failed to deliver
improvements and that further reductions were required (news, page
10, 24 April).

It added that local strategic partnerships, which are made up of
the council, voluntary and private sectors and make decisions about
how regeneration money is spent, were nothing more than “talking
shops”.

But Sarker described the report as “a real blow”, adding that LSPs
had not been given the time to deliver results.

“It takes a long time for people in different sectors to even learn
how to talk,” she said.