Community Regeneration Partnership

Background, Roles and Responsibilities

The Community Regeneration Partnership is a theme based partnership established to oversee the development, implementation and monitoring of the South Lanarkshire Community Regeneration Statement including local Area based regeration Initiiatives in South Lanarkshire. This includes developing programmes relating to community regeneration, social inclusion, community learning and development and neighbourhood management. The Community Regeneration Statement is built on th active engagement of local people through a programme of Open Minds Events in areas where deprivation exists. A Regeneration Outcome Agreement is now being implemented, targeting action in the most deprived neighbourhoods during 2005-08.

Membership

The range of agencies involved in Social Inclusion activities in South Lanarkshire include:

• Communities Scotland
• South Lanarkshire Council
• NHS Lanarkshire
• NHS Greater Glasgow
• Scottish Enterprise Lanarkshire
• Community and Voluntary Sectors
• Business Gateway
• Job Centre Plus

Key Achievements

Through the agenda for social inclusion and community regeneration, considerable progress has been made across South Lanarkshire on a range of Initiatives. These have helped to meet the Community Plan priorities and the targets and milestones identified in the Scottish Executive's Social Justice Report. Some of our key achievements in relation to Community Plan priorities are highlighted below.

A £64m Regeneration Outcome Agreement programme for 2005-08 was established delivering projects in the most deprived communities in South Lanarkshire. The programme inlused poposals to refurbish key community facilities, improve play areas and public open spaces an dinvesting additional external funing in serivce improvements.

The creation of new business space and jobs including support to 49 firms, 32 new business start-ups and 104 new jobs

• The Pride of Place environmental programme has created 52 new jobs and 53 new SVQ achievers.
• A series of community safety interventions including underpass improvements and removal, new traffic management systems.
• In 2005-06 a major new neighbourhood facility was opened in Whitehilll and work started on facilities in Cambuslang, Fairhill, Hamilton.
• Successful projects such as Up for It, Routes to Work (South) and the Youth Development programme were extended.
• An additional £1.34million was secured from Communities Scotland to undertake additional activities during the year, including the provision of new Youth Cyber-Cafes at youth centres in ROA neighbourhoods

The New Leaf Partnership in the Cambuslang and Rutherglen area has adopted a regeneration framework that aims to make the area a better place in which to live, work and enjoy life to the full. The New Leaf Partnership's priorities are:

• Work to maximise the regeneration benefits of major projects such as the M74 - Clyde Gateway, Housing Investment Programme and the Education Public/ Private Partnership
• Promoting social inclusion
• Supporting active health improvement via the Healthy Living Initiative.
• Addressing dereliction, improving open spaces and upgrading the public realm
• Promoting jobs and training activity including programmes linked to major construction programmes ( see FOCIS information)

Larhall Regeneration

A Larkhall Partnership is being set up to address emerging regeneration priorities in relation to Larkhall, Stonehouse and surrounding villages. The main priority will be to develop a local Regeneration Framework and implement an Action Plan for Larkhall and its surrounding villages.

Neighbourhood Regeneration

South Lanarkshire Council, Communities Scotland and Local Housing Associations are currently engaged in comprehensive neighbourhood regeneration strategies at West Whitelaw (Rutherglen), The Circuit (Cambuslang) and Strutherhill (Larkhall). These major capital investment initiatives will continue over the period of the action plan. Additional area regeneration strategies will be initiated over the next 2 years notably in the Cathkin and Cairns area of Cambuslang. Community Engagement and capacity building will be important elements of all these strategies.

New Housing Partnerships

Partners will also continue to progress the approach to New Housing Partnerships which will contribute to area based regeneration programmes. In 2005/6 36 new houses were built in Burnbank. The £60m, 1100 programme is now 95% complete. The building of units in East Kilbride will commence Spring 06.

Neighbourhood Management

The introduction by the Scottish Executive of the concept of Neighbourhood Management with associated community wardens and Community Compacts will give communities closer links with the Community Planning process and with public agencies. Neighbourhood Management Plans have been developed for Whitehill, Fernhill, Fairhill and High Blantyre.

Routes to Inclusion

• The Routes to Inclusion model aims to improve services that support the local economy by addressing labour market issues. The model is endorsed by all of the key support agencies in Lanarkshire and has made significant progress across a range of jobs access initiatives. Key areas of activity have been as follows:
• Routes To Work (South) is being developed for the Community Intermediary Service in South Lanarkshire . Community Intermediaries help workless people to overcome barriers that prevent them accessing training and employment opportunities. The new structure encourages partnership working across agencies, targeting the hardest to reach groups. The aim is to provide equality of access and sustainable outcomes for people seeking work. Some achievements in 2005-06 included:
• 1396 workless people have been engaged
• 570 individuals being assisted into secure employment
• 330 individuals enrolled on training programmes
• The FOCIS (Future Opportunities Construction Industry Sector) partnership project has maximised the linkage between unemployed, excluded SIP residents and opportunities arising from construction/civil engineering work within the South Lanarkshire area. Some achievements in 2005-06 included:
• 2347 workless people have been engaged
• 838 individuals being assisted into secure employment
• and a further 625 individuals enrolled on training programmes
• 'Progress 2 Work' helps North and South Lanarkshire residents with former drug misuse issues who are now stabilised and looking for work, education or training. This is done through support offered by seven advisors who work intensively with individuals to overcome the barriers they have eg. homelessness, debt, moving them forward to their chosen outcome.

Engaging Communities
A framework for effective community engagement has been developed by partners to help establish a co-ordinated and consistent approach to consulting, involving and working with communities. This is linked closely with the work of the Community Learning and Development Partnership and the work of local Councils of voluntary service.

This framework provides clear guidance and help those involved in this field of activity to confidently engage with communities, ensure minimum standards and develop the capacity of groups and individuals to participate in Community Plan and Community Regeneration activity and decision making processes. Key achievements in this area include:

• Community Links is well-established as the community consultation arm of Changing Places and has organised and supported a number of well attended open minds events
• CREATE has been developed in the Cambuslang & Rutherglen and is now established as both the voluntary sector support body for the area and the New Leaf community consultation agency.

Addressing Health Inequalities

In addition to promoting healthier lifestyles, a number of Health Initiatives aim to address the links between social/ environmental factors and health in key regeneration areas. A range of interventions have been tailored to meet individual circumstances including access to leisure, smoking cessation, stress and addiction counselling among others. These are discussed in more detail in the Health and Care Partnership.

Two Healthy Living Initiatives are also in opeation with South Lanarkshire. Healthy Valleys covers Douglas and Nethan Valleys and is based in Rigside. Camglen HLI covers the Cambuslang and Rutherglen area and is based in Rutherglen.

Headline Priorities

Key priorities for social inclusion and community regeneration in South Lanarkshire are;

• South Lanarkshire's Towns and Villages
• Investment in Housing and Neighbourhoods
• Area Based regeneration Programme
• Enterprise, Employability and Learning
• Enviornmental Quality

Publications

For more detailed information on key priorities/action plans, refer to:

• Community Regeneration Statement -" Building Better Communities in South Lanarkshire " (download)
• New Leaf - A Regeneration Framework for Cambuslang and Rutherglen (download)
• Blantyre and North Hamilton 's Programme and Annual Report June 2003 - download www.localgossip.org/index_frames/sip.htm
• Changing Places - The Regeneration Action Plan 2002 - 2005 for Blantyre & North Hamilton Sip - download www.localgossip.org/pdfs/changing_places.pdf

To obtain a copy of document(s) by post please contact kenny.mackie@southlanarkshire.gov.uk or telephone: (01698 453679).

Contacts

For further information please contact:-
Programme Manager
South Lanarkshire Council
Tel: 01698 453812

Links:-

For further information on North/Hamilton Blantyre Sip: www.localgossip.org

For further information on CREATE contact: http://www.create-ltd.org

For further information on rural South Lanarkshire 's Council for Voluntary Service (CVS) - Alvo contact: www.alvo.org.uk

For further information on Community Links contact: www.localgossip.org/index_frames/community.htm