07 March 2003
Central and local government must 'give up a bit of power' to tackle social exclusion in partnership with voluntary and community bodies.
That was the message from Office of the Deputy Prime Minister minister Barbara Roche, when she launched an expanded brief for the Social Exclusion Unit to help people in England's most deprived areas move into jobs, and to remove barriers to employment faced by people with mental health problems.
The unit will investigate whether policies were being delivered effectively to help unemployed people in deprived neighbourhoods find work, set up businesses or leave the black economy and become self-employed, she said. It will make recommendations in a year's time.
Roche told a conference on the unit's work on March 5 that Whitehall and the voluntary sector were in the middle of 'a period of adjustment' over where power lay in social inclusion programmes.
'We will all have to give up a bit of power,' Roche said. 'We are saying to local government "this is not just for you to determine – you have to work with your partners". That is difficult for councillors and officers.'
But she admitted that making maximum use of funding streams was complex for community groups and sometimes 'we're putting too much due diligence in the way'.
Roche explained that the employment emphasis of both projects arose from a recognition that 'welfare has developed into a culture in some areas – and as such it has become part of the problem'.
She stressed the need to break cycles of deprivation that can stretch across generations. Only one new business is created in the poorest areas for every six in wealthier ones, Roche said.
PFmar2003
