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| JOINING UP COMMUNITY COHESION AND REGENERATION |
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| Release date: 12 Dec 2003 |
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Government-funded regeneration projects must serve to bring communities together, Home Office Minister Fiona Mactaggart said today as she published new community cohesion advice.
Speaking at the 'Developing Better Community Cohesion' conference, Ms Mactaggart launched joint Home Office/ODPM advice for local authorities, Government Departments and Government Offices, Regional Development Agencies and other agencies on how to build community cohesion principles into Area Based Initiatives (ABIs) - central government initiatives that are targeted at specific geographical areas.
It highlights three key principles:
Good communication - telling people what the scheme's objectives are and how it will be implemented.
Regular consultation - talking to local people regularly will lead to greater local ownership of regeneration schemes.
Flexibility - flexibility in the definition of geographical boundaries for a scheme, and looking at how benefits can be provided to direct and indirect participants, will avoid the perception of discrimination.
Fiona Mactaggart said:
'When a central government initiative is concentrated on a specific area, other local people who may not benefit directly often have the perception that they are being discriminated against. This was a feature identified by the Cantle Report following the disturbances of 2001.
'It is the responsibility of national and local officials to introduce and implement such programmes sensitively and in a way that does not divide communities.
'Today's guidance is the toolkit to make that happen. It highlights three key principles for building community cohesion into regeneration schemes - good communication, regular consultation and flexibility.
'Using local knowledge and involving local people from different communities is the best way to ensure that regeneration schemes create more cohesive communities.'
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 Email to author |
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| reference: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/n_story.asp?item_id=738 |
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| Article Id: | 83637 | | Release date: | 12 Dec 2003 |
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Copyright EMBRACE West Midlands 2010
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