TOP DOWN MEETS BOTTOM UP IN SUNDERLAND Phil

TOP DOWN MEETS BOTTOM UP IN SUNDERLAND! Phil Spooner Head of Regeneration and Housing Sunderland City Council

STRUCTURE • Background – City, structures, experience • The Challenge – achieving an effective balance between top down and bottom up • Sunderland’s approach and experience • Stocktake and next steps

BACKGROUND: THE CITY • 300, 000 people in 3 main settlement types and over 150 neighbourhoods • broad, multi-faceted deprivation • focus of many special regeneration programmes but … • needed to sharpen up our act to attract funds in a competitive situation

BACKGROUND: STRUCTURES • Strong record of partnership • Go-ahead City Council with traditional values • ‘Excellent’ rating in comprehensive Performance Assessment • Increasingly well organised and networked voluntary/community sector • Weak private sector • Regeneration and Central Policy formed core of Chief Executive’s Department from mid 1990 s

BACKGROUND: EXPERIENCE • Regeneration programmes, their development, research, consultation, practical resident involvement • City Strategy produced since 1997 • Public Service Agreement pathfinder • Best Value Pilot Authority 1998 • Neighbourhood Renewal Fund, floor targets and the need to achieve clearer accountability and measurability • Connecting and reconciling the needs, wants, aspirations of all main interests

THE CHALLENGE

‘DOWNWARDS’ • • Government, regional, City-level policies Government floor targets City Partnership priorities and imperatives Consistency of standards (completeness and quality) and approach wherever appropriate

‘UPWARDS’ • Local research findings, issues, opportunities, priorities • Outcomes of focus groups and other consultation methods • Community Visioning Exercise • Community Spirit / MORI • Implementation practice, information, views, experience

WHERE TOP DOWN MEETS BOTTOM UP A continuously evolving approach featuring: • Area Regeneration Frameworks • issues • opportunities • priorities • • • Area Regeneration Officers Area Committees and Council restructuring Area Partnerships Area Budgets Appraisals

Local Strategic Partnership Board Community Strategy Area Regeneration Framework Themed Partnerships Area Partnerships / Committees

OR PUT ANOTHER WAY … • Policies • Floor Targets • Standards/consistencies AREA REGENERATION FRAMEWORKS • Common format • Outcome focus • Holistic approach • Performance management tool • Local priorities • Practice experience • Research • Consultation outcomes • Customer feedback

PRACTICE INFLUENCING POLICY • • Primary care service delivery Community Police Task Forces Local labour in construction ‘Schools- plus’ developments Youth Parliament Diversity respected and valued Fundamental changes in process and approach to local regeneration • Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy and Community Strategy

Stocktake • We can achieve a productive balance between top down and bottom up • The process is not without its tensions • The process has been evolutionary • Results have been promising but there is much more to do • It’s a team game – we need Government, strategists, policy officers, practitioners and the community working together towards common goals • The future will be exciting and challenging … will Government play its part?

NEXT STEPS • Merge Community Strategy and Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy • Develop Area Frameworks – scope and content • Review how far all interests are ‘plugged in’ – minority ethnic communities, young, elderly private sector • Refine and develop Area Partnerships • Exploit e-technology to develop our approach