11 October 2010
‘Big Society’ style community activism has done more to help deprived northern communities than economic investment, according to a report published today.
A study by the Institutefor Public Policy Research North found that poor communities that were ‘defensive and inward looking’ were unable to capitalise on public investment designed to boost economic growth and employment.
They ‘lagged’ behind deprived neighbourhoods with strong community leadership and positive aspirations, who reaped more benefits from targeted support.
Ed Cox, IPPR North director, said that while economic growth prior to the recession had improved people’s lives in all northern cities, ‘even when the investment has gone in and the jobs are there, not everyone benefits’.
He added: ‘Some neighbourhoods get left behind. People need to be able to connect to the new opportunities... what is needed is support to give people the confidence and the aspiration to seize the chances on offer – this must be at the heart of what the Big Society is about.’
The report, Rebalancing local economies, analysed the regions in and around the Tees Valley, Leeds and Liverpool between 1999 and 2005. Unemployment fell in deprived communities by 56%, 59% and 68% in each region respectively during the six years of economic prosperity.
Neighbourhoods within each region were also compared by the centre Left think-tank. In Liverpool levels of deprivation in Speke grew despite ‘remarkable investment’ from the John Lennon Airport, Jaguar Land Rover and a number of new retail and business parks. Yet an ‘island mentality’ among residents prevented people from benefiting from the new job opportunities.
Nearby Croxteth, however, despite having a negative reputation and not as much support from government, saw significant improvement in deprivation levels because of a number of community-run initiatives.
Nancy Kelley, acting co-director of policy and research at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, which helped with the IPPR report, added: ‘As we face the prospect of public sector cuts and the impacts they are likely to have on the poorest places, it is even more important than ever to understand how we can support deprived neighbourhoods to survive and even grow over the long term.’
