The Audit Commission has hailed the North West Coalfields Communities Regeneration Programme (NWCCRP) a huge success.
The independent watchdog issued its report: ‘A Mine of Opportunities – Local Authorities and the Regeneration of the English Coalfields’ which analyses the outputs of England’s coalfield regeneration programmes within the last ten years.
The report praised the NWCCRP for its effective partnership working and was highlighted as a key driver for regeneration. It detailed the progress made in the pit areas including the building of new homes, roads and the creation of new jobs.
The Programme, which is managed by Wigan Council on behalf of the North West Development Agency (NWDA) aims to regenerate former coalfields in eight local authority areas:
- Allerdale Borough in Council
- Bolton MBC
- Copeland Borough Council
- Knowsley MBC
- Salford City Council
- St Helens MBC
- Warrington Borough Council
- Wigan Council
Projects supported in Wigan Borough include:
- Transforming Your Space (aimed to address environmental issues in the coalfield areas including general tidiness, unattractive landscapes and improving access to green spaces)
- Healthy Schools (aimed to improve health of young people through schools in the coalfield areas)
- Hindley Town Centre Enhancements (aims to improve the general appearance of the town centre and brings vacant / derelict buildings back into use)
- Moving On Moving Up (helped unemployed adults to find and keep jobs)
- Enterprising Communities (offered grants to local businesses or community enterprises to improve or develop vacant or derelict buildings in coalfield areas)
Cllr Keith Cunliffe, Wigan’s representative on the NWCCRP Board said:
“The success of the NWCCRP is the result of excellent programme management by Wigan Council’s Economic Regeneration Office and the strength of the partnership across the eight local authorities.
“As the only region in the country to have such a programme, it is a unique partnership, which is yielding results in regenerating some of our most deprived areas.”
The report also highlighted that the regeneration of England’s coalfield areas is far from complete. It stated that addressing issues of bad health; poor school results; poor motivation; and low skills must be a priority going forward.
The NWCCRP is awaiting news of a further phase of funding from the NWDA, which will allow the programme to continue until 2012.
For more information about the North West Coalfields Communities Regeneration Programme, please contact Stuart Hurst NWCCRP Co-ordinator on 01942 828975 or S.Hurst@wigan.gov.uk
