New Deal for Communities

Introduction

The New Deal for Communities is a key programme in the Government's strategy to help some of the most deprived neighbourhoods in the country.  The programme aims to bridge the gap between some of the poorest members of our society and the rest of Britain. By focusing resources on small deprived areas, and working with other initiatives operating in the area, it seeks to achieve maximum impact. There are 39 neighbourhoods now covered by NDC (see below).  NDC only applies to these neighbourhoods (which typically cover between 1000 and 4000 households), not to the rest of the local authority area,

Although problems vary from area to area, there are five themes - common to most deprived neighbourhoods - which the programme will seek to address:

·         tackling worklessness;

·         improving health;

·         tackling crime;

·         raising educational achievement; and

·         improving housing and the physical environment.

The programme is delivered through partnerships formed between local people, community and voluntary organisations, public agencies, local authorities and business. These must be robust and inclusive; each prepared to take responsibility for tackling the problems of social exclusion in order to make a lasting improvement to their neighbourhood. It also means harnessing the active involvement of the local community - not only during the lifespan of the programme, but afterwards as well.

Details of the grant and its linkage to adult basic skills

New Deal for Communities includes within the five themes (noted above) raising educational achievement. This can be closely linked to adult basic skills, which are likely to be a key issue for many partnerships.  For those involved in one of the 39 neighbourhoods who can deliver good quality basic skills provision, there is a good chance that the NDC partnership might be interested

Eligibility criteria

New Deal for Communities is based on partnerships that are representative of the community. These partnerships must also bring together residents, voluntary sector organisations, public agencies, local authorities and business – all those with a contribution to make to the regeneration of the neighbourhood. NDC partnerships are not grant-giving bodies in the conventional sense.  They have a specific programme to achieve, with specific outcomes, and their money is solely to deliver that programme.  So any proposed project has to help deliver the programme - this is not about bidding into a general funding pot.

If you are in one of the 39 NDC neighbourhoods and want to bid for funding from NDC, you need to contact the NDC partnership that covers your neighbourhood and follow the partnership's application procedures. Each partnership has its own procedures - they are not centrally controlled. Funding is only available for projects benefiting that neighbourhood.  More importantly, a proposed project will not be funded unless it contributes to one or more of the key priorities in the individual NDC Partnership's Delivery Plan, and the proposed project has been shown to be the most effective way of delivering the priority (following a process of appraising options).

NDC Neighbourhoods

Contact details for further information

NDC Support & Advice Team: