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Newcastle criticised for regeneration plans

Newcastle City Council’s plans to transform neighbourhoods have been rubbished in a damning report.

The regeneration plans were given just one star out of three by Audit Commission watchdogs. The commission described the schemes to reinvigorate some of Newcastle’s areas as “slow and cumbersome”.

The report focused on Walker, Scotswood and Benwell, and Elswick, where plans have been hatched to improve housing and community facilities. But the council, the report says, has failed to make sufficient progress in building new houses and narrowing the gap between rich and poor parts of the city.

The Walker regeneration is criticised for the “limited” number of homes and community facilities which have been built, with no shops, despite long-term efforts to plan how to revamp the area. In Scotswood and Benwell, inspectors say, many houses have been demolished and families rehoused effectively, but no new houses have been built.

Council leader John Shipley said: “We have done a great deal to reduce the impact of the recession but it has inevitably taken a toll. The Audit Commission is right to point out that council procedures can sometimes be slow.

“This is why we have, for the last year, been undertaking a major transformation of the way the council works so regeneration can be speeded up.’’

Labour leader Nick Forbes accused said: “Newcastle should be at the forefront of urban regeneration. We’re one of the best placed cities to benefit from massive Government investment in housing, schools and infrastructure.

“But opportunities have been passed by because of dithering within the council.”

The inspectors did note some degree of optimism for the future.

They said: “However, there is now much better strategic alignment across the Council and there is a sense of greater engagement and pace since the restructuring of the Council in 2008.”

To see the full report visit www.audit-commission.gov.uk/reports.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .