Local regeneration is about economic and social wellbeing
Author: Alex Thomson, Localis, in the Guardian Local Government Network |
“Have faith and try and change the world” was the plea of the recently departed New Labour strategist Lord Gould. And there is no doubt that one of the best ways to achieve such an admirable goal is to focus on changing the world around you – for the successful regeneration of a local area can transform the lives of all those who live there. The government that Gould helped shape certainly believed this, running a programme of major investment in regeneration.
In fact, successive governments over a number of decades have spoken of the need to regenerate many British towns and cities, and backed their words with funding for a string of centrally-led schemes. But while there have been some notable successes, many top-down regeneration programmes have arguably failed to provide value for money.
In any case, large pots of public money are no longer available to finance these schemes. If the top-down approach of the past ever was viable, it certainly isn’t today. So in the spirit of the localism agenda, it’s going to be up to local areas to show leadership and initiative.
So what are the challenges facing would-be local champions of regeneration? Balancing economic and social wellbeing has to be the cornerstone of locally-led regeneration efforts.
Since the late 1990s, policymakers have recognised the wider social factors that affect the success of regeneration schemes, but this is even more vital in the current economic climate. Making the most of existing social capital and providing opportunities for local people to be involved in regeneration is a vital part of making the best use of limited resources.
Financing regeneration schemes nowadays represents a major challenge, even where schemes focus more on social or economic regeneration rather than large-scale physical regeneration.
Working with private sector interests and opportunities may be part of the solution, but this presents other questions around joint models, availability of capital, and the tension between the interests of the private sector working in local communities. Crucially, areas will need to find their own way based on ad-hoc arrangements and local opportunities.
The often touted north-south divide is not an absolute; although the south-east as a whole remains relatively buoyant in the face of recession, the south-west and even some of the southern coastal cities have substantial need of renewal and regeneration and there are plenty of thriving areas across the north with business champions to help attract investment.
We believe that a locally-driven approach is the only way to successfully tackle these challenges, particularly in a time of austerity. This will require local leadership and a fresh look at the structures and funding mechanisms available to local government.
This article represents the first in a series looking at different approaches to regeneration from across the UK and abroad from a local perspective. A report from Localis, looking at these issues in more detail, will be launched in late May.