The Regeneration of East Manchester: A Political Analysis by Georgina Blakeley & Brendan Evans

Author:Georgina Blakeley & Brendan Evans [Blakeley, Georgina & Evans, Brendan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Public Policy, City Planning & Urban Development, Public Affairs & Administration, Social Science, Political Science, Urban, Sociology, General
ISBN: 9781526102881
Google: z225DwAAQBAJ
Goodreads: 18139534
Publisher: Manchester University Press
Published: 2013-11-05T00:00:00+00:00

Coalition Government, ideology and urban regeneration

Those involved in Manchester politics refer to the ‘philosophical core’ which propels the Coalition Government (Interview, 10/04/2012). Certainly, its arrival changed policy on urban regeneration, with some claiming it resulted in a policy vacuum. The Liberal Democrat participation in government has had little evident impact; it was soon apparent that the centrality of deficit reduction ensured that the idea of an active and well-resourced local state in partnership with private business, and launching holistic ABIs was contrary to the Government’s ideology.

The new policy on urban regeneration was expressed in Regeneration to Enable Growth. This explicitly denied the virtue of top down ABIs, implicitly including the initiatives which the previous Conservative Government had introduced in favour of ‘community-led regeneration’ (DCLG, 2011a, 2011b). This was part of the aim of weaning local government away from relying on central grants and of siphoning off state funding in favour of private sector investment. Yet in the private sector there is concern that the monies on offer are inadequate, and the view is expressed that the Coalition Government offers localism without public money (Fyson, 2011: 17). This distinctive ideological approach is suggested by the contrast with the policy of the Scottish Government, which announced £8 m funding for two of its six URCs to provide stability up to 2014 (Marrs, 2011b).

Yet there is some policy confusion, with Government proclaiming the aim of shifting the impetus towards the private sector while claiming that it is still spending on cities. The Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, argues that his disagreement with the previous Government is not that they spent ‘well-intentioned’ money on cities but that funds had ‘not all [been] well-targeted and did not achieve value for money’ (Fyson, 2011: 17). The difference is that there is a consolidated growth fund for cities drawn from diverse Government departments, rather than earmarked funding. A further confusion is that the Housing Minister, Grant Shapps, differentiated the Government’s direct regeneration spending of approximately £4 bn from other expenditures which, while focused on economic growth, also indirectly promote regeneration (House of Commons, 2011: 26).

The Coalition Government seeks to occupy a strategic role by providing incentives, removing barriers, reforming public services and targetting investment to strengthen the infrastructure for growth and regeneration, arguing that this represents the most effective means of supporting the most vulnerable. It aims to increase local control over public finance, enable the local pooling of previously ring-fenced budgets and help communities to influence policy. Localism is promoted by setting up focused LEPs to encourage civic, business and voluntary sector organisations to drive economic growth. Government income streams are provided, such as the NHB, tax increment financing which funds infrastructure projects by borrowing against future revenue growth, £4.5 bn for new affordable homes, £2 bn for the Decent Homes programme, £1.3 bn for the HCA and a £1.4 bn RGF. This amounts to £20 bn central government investment in infrastructure to support regeneration. The claim for this strategy is to permit variation so that

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