Communities and neighbourhoods

Neighbourhood Management

Neighbourhood Management is an approach that enables local communities and service providers to work together at a neighbourhood level to improve services and quality of life. It does this by joining up local services and making them more responsive to local needs. It is a process which recognises the uniqueness of each place; allowing the people that live, work or provide services in it to build on its strengths and address specific challenges.

In 2001-02 the Neighbourhood Management Pathfinder programme was established to develop and test how neighbourhood management might be used as a tool to tackle disadvantage. Using the Indices of Deprivation as a key indicator, 35 pathfinder areas were set up in two rounds: twenty initially with a further fifteen launched in 2003. Funding for the first round of pathfinders ended in March 2008, with funding for the second round continuing until 2011/12.

An evaluation of the programme, conducted by SQW Consulting, demonstrates that neighbourhood management can make a significant impact in deprived neighbourhoods, particularly around crime reduction and environmental issues. This is reflected by the Flanagan Review and Casey Review, which both recommend aligning neighbourhood policing more closely with neighbourhood management to achieve joint outcomes.

The National Association for Neighbourhood Management currently supports approximately 350 neighbourhood management schemes across England, providing guidance documents and a programme of workshops and events.

Neighbourhood Wardens / Neighbourhood Training and Resource Centres

Neighbourhood Wardens provide a highly visible, uniformed, semi-official presence in residential and public areas, town centres and high-crime areas. They are hugely diverse and their overall purpose is to improve quality of life and contribute to the regeneration of an area. Their priorities are decided at a local level, but often include reducing crime and fear of crime; deterring anti-social behaviour; fostering social inclusion and caring for the environment.

Although CLG no longer provides direct funding for warden schemes, it does currently support the network of Neighbourhood Training and Resource Centres (NTRC), which provide practical support and training for wardens and other frontline neighbourhood focused working. Direct funding will cease in 2009 at which point the NTRCs will become part of the integrated support package offered by the Regional Improvement and Efficiency Partnerships.