Sustainable Communities

Leicestershire Economic Renewal & Development Framework

"Developing a 'Renewal Framework' for Leicestershire for the next 15 years, based on the most deprived communities in the county"

The 'Renewal Framework' will focus on education, employment, skills, health, housing and crime issues. It will aim to tackle social exclusion in some of the more deprived geographical communities within Leicestershire, by providing sustainable support over a long-term period by adopting a co-ordinated, multi-agency approach.

Organisation: Leicestershire County Council

Completion Date: 31/03/2005

Location

A pilot project in the Charnwood District, North Leicestershire

Project Description

Poverty and other forms of disadvantage have become concentrated in individual neighbourhoods and particular estates in Leicestershire. The Renewal Framework identifies the pockets of disadvantage through research, interviews and consultation and then proposes action using a multi-agency approach to address the issues and problems - Alan Tuppen, Group Manager Regeneration and Community Development, Leicestershire County Council

Background
Priority areas for economic regeneration have been identified in this pilot project which has identified pockets of urban and rural deprivation within the Charnwood Borough in North Leicestershire.

Data from the 2001 Census and the 2001 Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) scores were considered, along with data looking at benefits recipients and school attainment in the district.

Priority areas were apparent from the IMD scores alone, these were Hastings, Shelthorpe, Lemyngton

Additional indicators
The research then moved onto consider other indicators such as:

• Education - attainment levels, access and take up.
• Economy - declining industrial base, opportunities for work, VAT registration, entrepreneurship, etc.
• Poverty - benefit dependency, working poor, free school meals.
• Housing - tenure, overcrowding, improvments needed, % homes suffering from high levels of vacancy, disrepair or vandalism.
• Environment - state of public spaces, areas of dereliction, provision of play space/equipment.
• Transport - access to public transport, car ownership
• Access to services - access to financial services, shops. doctors surgery, pharmacy etc.
• Population profile of ward - by ethnicity, age.

Looking at other indicators allowed the identified wards to be investigated in more detail and pulled up other areas within the district that contain pockets of deprivation.

Consultations
Key stakeholders in each target ward were identified and interviewed. From this an audit on existing and proposed renewal activity in the area was developed.

Consultations also sourced existing community facilities, groups and assets/opportunities such as derelict land and buildings in the area for possible inclusion in the Economic Renewal & Development Framework.

Outcomes

Key outcomes of the first phase of the Interim Charnwood Renewal Framework:

An identification of the primary and secondary priority areas based on an analysis of the concentration and scale of deprivation and exclusion. The Charnwood Urban area is proposed as the primary priority area. The South Charnwood villages and the Soar Valley Villages are proposed as the secondary priority areas for developing programmes to tackle the pockets of deprivation.

Development of four renewal programmes:

1. Youth aspiration and positive destination
2. Learning, skills and employment
3. Community engagement and enablement
4. Liveability - Living Places

The above are concerned with action in the key areas of education, training and employment, community engagement and empowerment, positive youth destinations and improving the living environment. The interim 'framework' has outlined action proposals based on comments from stakeholders.

An in-depth appendix to serve as a baseline measure has been produced. This includes the baseline data, tables and maps highlighting priority areas, the community consultations, stakeholder interview summary, existing businesses and current projects.

The next stage:

The next stage of the project, which has now begun, is focusing the attention of partners on the communities most in need and providing a basis for a strategic approach for multi-agency renewal activity in Charnwood.

The programme of activities that have been documented in the Renewal Framework Programmes now needs to be consulted on and developed further.

Project Contacts

Project manager:
Alan Tuppen
Tel: 0116 265 7028
E-mail: atuppen@leics.gov.uk
Website: www.leics.gov.uk / www.charnwoodbc.gov.uk

LSEP contact:
Gill Smitherman
Tel: 0116 257 5676
Email: gills@lsep.co.uk
Website: www.lsep.co.uk