Measham Set to Benefit from Government’s Connecting Communities Programme

The village of Measham has been identified as a potential recipient of help under the Government’s Connecting Communities programme aimed at communities which are feeling the pressure from the recession.

The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government is now in the process of extending this new programme to a further tranche of wards and neighbourhoods. The areas have been identified by examining a range of hard and soft data around cohesion, deprivation and crime, perceived unfairness in the allocation of resources and feedback from people working locally.

Welcoming the news, David Taylor MP said “I’m always delighted to welcome Government help into North West Leicestershire and hope to work with our local authorities to make a strong case for Measham. I did my own survey in the village last year and held a coffee morning to discuss the responses with local people.”

“By reinvigorating engagement with communities, we can help ensure that they are well placed to share fully in future prosperity and emerge stronger and more cohesive. Practical action delivered on the streets will focus on developing a real insight into what is happening in Measham and introduce changes that will address local people’s concerns, reconnect them with jobs and tackle the real and perceived sense of unfairness some people are feeling. “

Ends

Notes to Editors

The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, the Rt Hon John Denham MP, launched the Connecting Communities programme on 14 October this year.

In recent years substantial investment has transformed large parts of the country. Almost without exception these communities have benefited considerably from SureStart centres, rising school standards, modernisation of public housing, the introduction of neighbourhood policing and many families have gained significantly from tax credits.

But this investment has taken place against a background of wider changes which has left some communities feeling under pressure.

Each area included in the Connecting Communities programme will draw up specific plans to address local challenges. Whilst the responses will vary from place to place they are likely to focus on three key areas:

Leadership - the quality of leadership is going to be critical to success in this area. Complex challenges require exceptional leadership. There will be investment in councillors and other leaders and frontline staff to support their confidence and skills in addressing these problems and help them shape the strategy for their area.

If people feel they are not being heard there is a need for honest and open debate to explain how decisions are made. Where decisions are contentious, leaders need the skills and confidence to challenge misconceptions and respond with action where needed. Leaders should be in communities, listening and addressing issues head on.

Giving people a voice - local people have got to have the chance to express their worries and know that someone will act on their behalf. The idea is to have a much more honest and open debate about what the challenges really are in these areas - even if this raises difficult and uncomfortable issues. People must have the space to air their grievances to political and community leaders. If people are afraid to have these discussions on the doorstep, people will have them all the same - but in the pub, at the school gate: where there is no opportunity to refute the myths and get the facts on the table.

Alongside measures, to increase the visibility of more formal leaders, individuals will be encouraged to act as community champions or tenants and have a bigger say in local issues. This will help build up the confidence and self-esteem of residents so that they feel that they can regain control over their estates, their lives and their futures.

Increased opportunities - raising awareness of the opportunities already available in the area - whether that is investment and regeneration, jobs and skills, childcare and youth services, education and healthcare, or efforts to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour. Measures like the Future Jobs Fund need to be delivered in ways which clearly respond to local priorities, shaped by the people whose lives it will affect. Because if the way we spend those resources causes resentment and the way we implement those policies actually undermines community cohesion, whether through accident or neglect, then that may do more harm than good.