10.18 pm
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Mr. Sadiq Khan): I thank the hon. Member for Peterborough (Mr. Jackson) for raising this important issue. The debate provides an opportunity to discuss not only the issues and the real challenges facing his constituents in the Millfield and New England areas of Peterborough, but the work under way to address those as part of a more coherent approach by local partners in the city.

The hon. Gentleman talked about the working neighbourhoods fund and made a plea for its money to be provided to those two areas. The WNF is targeted at 65 local authorities, all of which score more highly than Peterborough on the indices of multiple deprivation. The Government decided to focus these funds more tightly in light of the recommendations of the sub-national review of economic development and regeneration. There are no plans to revise the eligibility criteria or to increase the number of eligible authorities.
I wish to add a couple of things, as we are on the WNF. Under the formula grant—the hon. Gentleman did not mention this in his short contribution—Peterborough received an increase of 6 per cent. in
9 Feb 2009 : Column 1234
funding in 2008-09 and will receive more than generous inflation increases in 2009-10 and 2010-11. If one examines all the grants that Peterborough will receive in 2009-10, one will discover that an additional £11.5 million is being provided. The point is that, as important as the working neighbourhoods fund is to those deprived parts of the country—the 65 authorities that receive it—it is a fraction of the funding that Peterborough receives in the generous payments from the Government to the council and other key agencies.

Peterborough is benefiting from a range of other Government policies, related interventions and funding to support the delivery of local ambitions. I pay tribute to the hon. Gentleman for having the generosity to mention some of the work going on locally as a consequence of the Government providing local authorities with the tools and funding, all of which play a significant part in supporting the regeneration of neighbourhoods, through greater collaboration between local partners. Some important examples include £21.5 million growth area funding over the three years to 2010-11. There is £1.6million funding as part of the neighbourhood element of the safer and stronger communities fund. In Peterborough this will help Welland, Old Dogsthorpe, Bluebell, and part of the New England areas—about which the hon. Gentleman is rightly concerned. An additional £21 million from the East of England Development Agency for regeneration projects in Peterborough will contribute to projects worth £100 million in total since 1999.

The sum of £16.6 million from the region’s Urban II programme is focused on nine wards in Peterborough city centre with high levels of unemployment linked to a lack of skills. On the Labour Benches, we appreciate the contributions made by Europe, and the European regional development fund finance has provided just over £7.8 million to help the hon. Gentleman’s constituents. In addition, there have been funds for cohesion and preventing violent extremism for the period 2008-10, the latter totalling almost £765,000.

Mr. Stewart Jackson: The Minister will concede that there are difficulties in measuring the robustness and veracity of population statistics. He will also know that the transitional arrangements between neighbourhood renewal funding and working neighbourhood funding have thrown up some difficulties. Unless we get the population data right and make them topical, deserving authorities will lose out, even under the new programme.

Mr. Khan: The hon. Gentleman is right to raise the issue of the robustness of the statistics. A combination of migration and growth has affected Peterborough recently, and we simply cannot wait for a census every 10 years. The hon. Gentleman will be aware of the excellent work that is being done to improve the robustness of the figures and ensure that they reflect the real situation, rather than lagging behind.

The issue is not only money, as important as that is. The new local area agreement has already benefited Peterborough by bringing about a more co-ordinated and collaborative approach to tackling the challenges facing the city, from delivering growth to reducing inequalities—and a wider ambition to be the UK’s environment capital. Tools provided by a Labour Government are being used by a Conservative local authority to benefit the residents.

9 Feb 2009 : Column 1235

The planned growth of the city will bring significant opportunities for Peterborough to help bring about transformation, including within neighbourhoods. The city is blossoming, despite the tough economic climate. Considering the circumstances—including the recession—things are going well. The leader of Peterborough city council since 2003, John Peach, says that there is more going on now than ever. He should know as he has been on the council ever since the unitary council came under Conservative control.

It was not the hon. Gentleman’s intention—and he was careful to emphasise that he was talking about part of Peterborough, not the whole city—to talk down Peterborough. The regional spatial strategy for the east of England identifies Peterborough as a key centre for development and change. I am sure that the hon. Gentleman will agree that the successful growth of the city is an important factor in tackling deprivation and regenerating areas like Millfield and New England. Knitting together those two important agendas requires a strong partnership between all sectors and we believe that that can happen in Peterborough.

I do not want to pretend that there are no challenges, and the hon. Gentleman was right to stress some that face Peterborough, which is growing faster now than at any time in the past 50 years. It faces two significant challenges: first, to close the gaps between the worst and best neighbourhoods; and, secondly, to deliver its ambitious plans for growth. The debate today, in my opinion, should be about how we collectively maximise the resources already available in the city to deliver an ambitious agenda for the future. By pooling intelligence and capacity between partners, engaging and empowering local communities and providing real opportunities for them to be a part of the future plans for transforming the city, we can make a difference. It is happening on the ground. Peterborough city council and its partners, including the business community and the public, through the Greater Peterborough partnership, drew up the sustainable community strategy with the vision of

“A bigger and better Peterborough that grows the right way”—

through substantial and “truly sustainable” growth.

We need to strengthen the capability within Peterborough to secure additional funding, whether by attracting private sector investments through growth or improving its potential bidding credentials for competitive funding. It is right to focus on Millfield and New England. Many Labour Members entered politics to help those who were the most deprived in communities, and that is what social justice is about. The hon. Gentleman was right to draw attention to the ongoing challenges in Millfield and New England. I firmly believe that greater collaboration between service providers to tackle the underlying social and economic issues, continued education and awareness raising, ongoing enforcement and investigation work to deal with unscrupulous landlords and linking the growth plans with those for regeneration are more likely to secure a sustainable solution for the area.

9 Feb 2009 : Column 1236

I am pleased to say that such an approach is already being used in Millfield and New England by Conservative Peterborough city council, through its neighbourhood approach across the city. I understand that that city council has led with a restructure of its services and that the new neighbourhood management model that is being implemented includes multi-agency delivery teams, which will be tasked with responding to local priorities identified by neighbourhood partnerships. That is an example of Government devolving power with additional funding devolved to communities, turning subjects into citizens and citizens into active citizens.

Millfield and New England will form part of the central and east neighbourhood management area of Peterborough, which I think is a good thing. I would not want you to think, Mr. Speaker, that it has become a habit of mine to defend Conservative councils, but Peterborough city council is using the tools that we have given it and is working with appropriate partners to try to help neighbourhoods such as those identified by the hon. Gentleman, including Millfield. The scope of the work is also being expanded to cover New England.

I am afraid that there is no time left for me to deal with all the housing issues referred to by the hon. Gentleman, but there are now city-wide grants available for assistance with repairs and to disabled residents. We are working to address the issues about houses in multiple occupation. The council has a city-wide tenancy relations officer and a private landlord accreditation scheme. The city council has submitted an application for additional licensing for houses in multiple occupation, too.

The council is using the tools provided by the Government, and it is using the extremely generous record levels of investment that the Government have given it. I look forward to a bright future for Peterborough. Legislation based on the community empowerment White Paper will soon be considered in this House, after leaving the other place. There will soon be a joint inspectorate comprehensive area assessment, which will hold local authorities and, more widely, public sector partners to account on the delivery of local priorities.

To summarise, let me reiterate the benefits of collaboration, alignment, and the targeting of resources by key partners in a way that engages local residents in making a difference to their areas. I am sure that the hon. Gentleman will wish to join me in congratulating the local authority and the many other partners and people who are working hard to improve the quality of life for those who live in Peterborough. I am sure that you, Mr. Speaker, will agree that the Government are supporting partners with a range of policies and initiatives geared towards greater flexibility, which will enhance delivery and enable Peterborough to realise its ambitions. Never in the history of this country have a Government done more during a recession or economic downturn than this Government. I hope that the people of Millfield and New England will see the fruit of that soon.

Question put and agreed to.

10.29 pm
House adjourned.