The results of the Westminster City Partnership’s (WCP’s) approach to area renewal are now available.
The WCP would like to thank all partners and residents who participated in the review, which aimed to identify the effectiveness of our approach to date and to identify options for future funding and development. The review specifically looked at the effectiveness of the five Local Area Renewal Partnerships (LARPs) based in Westminster’s most deprived neighbourhoods.
The review findings were presented to the WCP last November. Since then further funding proposals have been put forward to support the area renewal programme. These proposals are currently awaiting approval.
Overall, the review found that the WCP’s approach to area renewal is delivering positive results and that the next phase of renewal should build on this success. According to partners, LARPs are helping them to work together better to improve the quality of life in deprived areas. They have been particularly successful in providing partner organisations with a holistic local perspective, offering a ‘way into the community’, providing valuable local intelligence, and facilitating innovative solutions to tackle the complex issues that affect the lives of residents.
The review also highlighted key areas for improvement and emphasised the need to:
- Focus on a smaller, more manageable number of priorities in each LARP area
- Improve communication about the role of LARP staff teams to partners
- Improve LARP structures and improve their accountability to the WCP
- Formalise working relationships between LARPs and partner organisations
- Address deprivation outside LARP areas
- Improve training and development of LARP teams and service providers to improve partnership working
- Invest in shared support structures across LARP areas to reduce duplication of effort
- Undertake a coordinated strategic programme of work to address issues common to all LARP neighbourhoods
- Develop a sustainable funding and a sustainable forward strategy for area renewal post 2011.
What next?
The Paddington Development Trust and the Council’s Area Renewal Team will work with the LARPs to develop a detailed programme of work to address the review findings. Each of the LARPs will have an Improvement Plan in place by the end of March 2009.
For further information, please contact:
Susie Schwartz, Area Renewal Officer.
Tel no: 020076413331
E-mail: sschwartz@westminster.gov.uk
Please see the attached documents for further information.