Future Communities: the value of involving people in place-shaping

Last week I attended the first in a series of seminars run by social research body the Young Foundation, as part of the Future Communities programme.

For anyone unfamiliar with this relatively new programme (it launched at the end of last year), it is a three-year government-backed research project sponsored by a number of bodies including the Homes & Communities Agency (HCA), the Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA), the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment and a number of local authorities - although it is principally managed by the Young Foundation. It was set up in response to the Government's pledge to build three million new homes by 2020 - researchers and regeneration practitioners believed that, while a huge amount is known and understood about what makes new housing physically and environmentally sustainable, much less is known about what exactly makes a community thrive socially.

So, Future Communities' brief is to visit different neighbourhoods, hold seminars and undertake research to build an understanding of what can be done to create sustainable communities and make sure all the relevant agencies take this on board.

It's a fairly broad remit, as I discovered at the seminar last week. The two and a half hour conversation (interspersed with presentations from a couple of Young Foundation researchers and a representative from University College London (pictured) involved in "community mapping" - a subject on which I am still hazy even after the event but find out more here) took great leaps and turns around every community renewal issue you could think of, from asset transfer to building community centres, from community empowerment and the barriers of local government bureaucracy.

The central thrust of the event, however, was to work towards building a business case for "investing in community involvement". By 'community involvement', the Young Foundation meant doing things such as consulting with residents on what they think would improve their local area and increase their personal attachment to it, and developing community infrastructure, such as community centres and local health clinics, which would help strengthen social networks in a place.

In her presentation, one researcher from the foundation said that she had spent the past three months since the launch of the programme compiling and analysing previous studies that related to this idea. One fascinating outcome of her research was that the cost of creating new social infrastructure when building a new housing development was around £700 per household - a relatively minor amount of money when compared to the massive costs associated with physical regeneration schemes, she said.

It seems to me that Future Communities is a valuable scheme, but I hope it produces some of its own, new research that perhaps can update statistics such as the one mentioned above and bring in some more conclusive, hard evidence of the financial benefits of investing in the social elements of new communities.

What would you like to see the Future Communities team examine over the next three years?

A snapshot of social exclusion in Manchester

Those who have watched the career of regeneration photographer Len Grant, whose book Reclaiming East Manchester we reviewed last month, will be pleased to hear he's just published another work, this time a more personal exploration of social exclusion.

Billy and Rolonde sees Grant capture on camera the lives of a heroin addict, a homeless alcoholic and a Zimbabwean asylum seeker who have benefited little from the large-scale regeneration that has sought to improve homes and communities in and around Manchester.

In the book's epilogue, Grant writes: "Like many British cities Manchester has undergone something of a renaissance in the past decade or so. City-centre living, new shopping centres, huge inward investment: the good times have been rolling. Even many of the inner-city neighbourhoods, previously neglected, have enjoyed significant renewal.

"However, there are many who remain untouched by the regeneration efforts .. .who have been excluded - or have excluded themselves - from the rest of society, busying themselves with a daily routine of survival. It is these stories that I wanted to tell."

A couple of the stories have a positive conclusion, Grant says. The first part of the book documents the life of Billy - which was the street name he used when he became a heroin addict and before he participated on a rehabilitation programme and reverted to his former name, Rolonde.

Billy is a cheerful, polite young man in his 30s who admits that he offered himself as a subject for the book because he thought it would be an incentive to get clean. He did so successfully, while also rekindling relationships with a family he had neglected for years. He gave up smoking, too. Grant's record of the two years he spent talking to and photographing Rolonde is illustrated with unromanticised images and extracts from Rolonde's letters to Grant and the diaries - moving and funny in equal measure - that he kept while in rehab.

As Grant writes in his epilogue: "Stories like this have no ending. There will always be more Billys and more photographers trying to make sense of it all."

Well worth a read.

Regeneration & Renewal Twitter Top 10

Another week, another list of the most influential politicos on Twitter.

Website Tweet Level ranked politicians on Twitter in terms of influence and trustworthiness, with @tweetminster, which aggregates and curates various Westminster-related tweets, coming out on top, followed by @Tom_Watson of Labour (whose Twitter profile reads: "Busy dad, disorganised politician, lover of film and video games") the second most influential and the onetime chief of the Department of Communities and Local Government, @johnprescott, coming third.

Suitably inspired - and to mark the fact that @regenerationUK notched its 1,000th follower earlier on in the week, myself, @regentownsend, @ajrhayman and @regencarpenter have together compiled below our own, not-entirely-scientific list of the most influential regenerators who tweet/academics who tweet about regeneration.

The searching criteria? They had to tweet regularly and relevantly on the sector. And if they occasionally made us laugh, then that helped their case too.

1. @NeilMcinroy
Sample tweet: Scottish Local govt and local economic development is more wedded with central government than in england. Thus Local economies matter more
2. @DaveHill
Sample tweet: Today's london transport challenge: getting to new cross gate station when new cross gate station is shut.
3. @dermotfinch
Sample tweet: In DC - had meetings with Brookings and White House yesterday, and Virginia Tech today on "shrinking cities"
4. @asset_transfer
Sample tweet: Leaving sunny Somerset now - excellent discussion of challenges facing rural communities interested in #AssetTransfer Tomorrow - Croydon!
5. @ urbanforum
Sample tweet: Clegg cools on Labour, Clangers hit Today programme and the chance to vote in our community sector poll ...
6. @SocEntLdn
Sample tweet: SEL's #socent manifesto is launched! #VoteSocEnt10 has five key asks for politicians of all parties - what do you think?
7. @CommunitiesUK
Sample tweet: Find out where your taxes go with new local spending reports @ http://bit.ly/localspendingreports
8. @richard_florida
Sample tweet: You are where you live - what makes a great neighborhood - my interview for @GOOD's neighborhood issue - http://shr.gd/cNfJQe
9. @SE_Coalition
Sample tweet: There's now 80 PPCs signed up to the Social Enterprise Charter 2010 - are your local candidates on the list? http://bit.ly/bRlFnU #socent
10. @Stewart4MP
Sample tweet: Only saying what I see. Happy to debate Lib Dems - Eurofanaticism, soft on crime & immigration, tax and spend doesn't add up.

Did we miss anyone out?

Blog debate: Who saved Manchester?

There's a lively debate going at the moment over at the Manchester Evening News website, following comments made by Tory 'big beast' Ken Clarke regarding the regeneration of Manchester. You can read the piece - which already has 76 comments - in full here, but in short, the shadow business secretary claimed that Manchester would "still be the same rundown place it was 30 years ago" if it was not for his party. Clarke (pictured left) told the Manchester Evening News: "It was the Thatcher and Major governments that introduced Manchester to a global economy - not the city elders sighing about cotton."

Clarke said that the city's transformation began when he had responsibility for urban policy under former PM Margaret Thatcher. "I was arguing for urban regeneration," he said. "I was using phrases such as public-private partnerships that was regarded as irreligious by the city councillors of Labour. If we had not done that and not introduced low inflation, Manchester would still be the rundown place it was 30 years ago."

But Labour MP Graham Stringer described the comments as "outrageous". "The damage he and Thatcher did here was devastating," he said. “They destroyed industries and the inner cities. They finished off the steel and engineering industries in east Manchester with a completely unnecessary deep recession in the early 1980s.

“They destroyed large parts of the public sector and left young people with no pathway out of unemployment.

“We got no support – and it was us who showed them how municipal leadership, with the support of the development corporation, could regenerate whole areas.”

Let us know your views on the row by commenting below.

Update: the regenerators grounded by ash cloud

Flight restrictions over the UK may now have been eased, but details are continuing to emerge of the regeneration professionals hit by the disruption. Yesterday, this blog reported that Urban Splash co-founder Tom Bloxham had tweeted nervously on Monday: "am suppose to be flying to Sydney for 2 days on tues eve to be keynote speaker at Aus Nat Architecture conf. But will I make it ..." (You can read our ash cloud post from yesterday here)

Unfortunately for Tom, he didn't make it. He tweeted earlier today: "Should have spent today stopping over in Abu Dhabi ,but at my desk and frustratingly just seen 1st plane flying over sunny Manc."

News also reaches the Regeneration & Renewal blog that Dermot Finch, boss of think-tank the Centre for Cities, is stranded in Washington. He writes on his own blog: "I'm on an extended trip to Washington DC - due the volcano ... Not sure when I'll be back. I gather Nick Clegg is all the rage these days."

Yesterday we used the power of Twitter to ask for examples of people in the regeneration sector affected by the volcanic ash cloud. Peter Gamble, director of architecture and regeneration practice Holder Mathias responded. He has just completed a 48-hour journey travelling back from Kiev to London, using "every form of transport possible" - apart from a plane. You can read his incredible account below:

“My initial attempts to secure an air ticket from Kiev to Nice and to travel from there were thwarted as Kiev airport simply shut up shop.

“A friendly taxi driver managed to get me a train ticket to Berlin through his contact who worked at the central station. This was a stroke of luck as I was competing with 5,000 delegates from a commercial flower show who were trying to get out of Kiev at the same time!

“On the Polish-German border, the train I was on was condemned as unfit to enter Germany, so I jumped onto a smart German commuter train heading for Berlin Ostbahnhaf.

“Here, I changed trains again for one heading for Brussels, picking up my onward Berlin - Brussels tickets from a travel consultant who met me at Berlin Hauptbahnhaf for a quick hand-over as the train waited at the station.

“It soon became apparent that the amount of train tickets sold via the internet for the Berlin – Brussels route far exceeded the capacity of the train as everyone struggling to get back to the UK had the same idea, so I was bumped off at Koln to finish the journey via coach.

“In Brussels, it was immediately clear that getting home via the Eurostar was a lost cause, so I hired a car to take me to Calais. Just 50km from Calais, the car broke down so I was forced to complete the final leg of my road trip via taxi.

“The last part of my journey was surprisingly the easiest, and despite the media hype I managed to get onto a P&O ferry bound for Dover with not as much difficulty as expected. I was then picked up by taxi the other end and managed to make it back to London – 48 hours after I started my journey.

UPDATE: Dermot Finch now has a flight home booked. He tweeted an hour ago: "Flight booked - thank you, Virgin - I forgive you for putting me on hold for 90 minutes"

Picture credit: NASA Goddard Photo and Video, Flickr

Election 2010: Has regeneration disappeared?

The sector's main trade body the British Urban Regeneration Association has published a briefing note setting out its reaction to the three main political parties' election manifestos. The tone of the document is pretty bleak. "Regeneration has disappeared," it says. "For the first time in 30 years no political party is making any coherent statements about how to tackle the most deprived areas of our country."

While being pretty gloomy, the note is well worth a read - I found its section setting out extracts of what election manifestos since 1979 have said about regeneration particularly interesting. It makes the point that successive manifestos published by both Labour and the Tories in 1979, 1983, 1987, 1992, 1997, 2001 and 2005 have made "coherent statements about how to tackle the most deprived areas of the country" - and this is backed up by evidence in the document. Bura's conclusion after digesting the 2010 crop of manifestos is that "regeneration, however defined, is not on the radar". The manifestos do not hold out a "prospect of fundamental change in our most deprived communities," Bura's briefing note says.

Bura now wants leading politicians to answer the following three questions:

Are you saying that the inner cities problem is solved?

If not, how will you give the necessary focus to the most deprived areas?

How can central and local government support the actions of the communities in the neighbourhoods?

Do you agree that regeneration has "disappeared"? Are you concerned by the three parties' failure to address regeneration in their manifestos? Is the inner cities problem solved? Join the debate by commenting below.

Picture credit: Phil Plait, Flickr

Where they stand: Community renewal

Welcome to the fourth in our series of ‘where they stand’ pieces setting out the three main parties' manifesto pledges on a range of key regeneration-related issues. Below, we examine what the manifestos say about community renewal.

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Where they stand: Transport

Where they stand: Housing

Where they stand: Planning

Election 2010 live blog: Conservative Party manifesto

Election 2010 live blog: Labour Party manifesto

Election 2010: The politicians to watch

Election 2010: Let us know what you want from the next government

__________________________

Labour

• Manifesto promises a "universal service obligation" on retail banks so that all customers with a valid address have a legal right to a basic bank account
• Says that a Labour government would force banks to publicly report on the extent to which they are "under-serving" communities. A new levy on banks would be introduced to fund a "step change" in the scale of affordable lending by third sector organisations
• A Labour government would consult on putting the Compact Commission, the body overseeing the Compact agreement between public bodies and the third sector, on a statutory footing

• Says that a Labour government would promote asset transfer and set up a fund to support the community ownership of local services, such as pubs

• Says that a Social Investment Bank, funded by dormant accounts, would make additional capital available to social enterprises. The bank would have an initial endowment of £75 million, the manifesto says

• A Labour government would extend participatory budgeting schemes to give people more say in local spending decisions, the manifesto says

Conservatives

• Says that a Conservative government would use Cabinet Office budgets to fund the training of community organisers to help people establish and run neighbourhood groups and would provide neighbourhood grants to the UK's poorest areas to "ensure they play a leading role in the rebuilding of civic society"

• Says that a Tory government would launch an annual "Big Society Day", which would celebrate the work of neighbourhood groups and encourage more people to take part in social action

• Says that the Conservatives would provide funding from a "Big Society Bank" - using cash in dormant bank accounts - to intermediary bodies with a track record of supporting and growing social enterprises

• Manifesto says that the Conservatives would develop a measure of wellbeing that "encapsulates the social value of state action"

• Says a Tory government would introduce a "fair deal" on grants to give voluntary sector organisations more stability and "allow them to earn a competitive return for providing public services"

• Says that a "National Citizen Service" would provide a programme for 16-year-olds to give them a chance to develop the skills needed to be active and responsible citizens

• Manifesto says that a Tory government would introduce a community right-to-buy scheme to help communities protect assets at risk of closure

Liberal Democrats
• Says that the Liberal Democrats would pass a new Mutuals, Co-operatives and Social Enterprise Bill to "bring the law up to date and give responsibility for mutuals to a specific minister"

• Manifesto promises to reform Gift Aid so that more money goes to charities

• Promises to reform the way the National Lottery is taxed from a ticket tax to a gross profits tax, "which is forecast to deliver more for good causes"

• Says that the Liberal Democrats would use cash in dormant betting accounts to set up a capital fund for improving local sports facilities and supporting sports clubs

• Manifesto says that Lib Dems would invest £2.5 billion in a "pupil premium" to boost education opportunities for every disadvantaged child

Your verdict

You've now read what the manifestos have to say about community renewal. Let us know what you think of the respective parties' plans by commenting below. You can also vote in our poll (top right) to let us know which party's manifesto plans you think promise the most for regeneration.

Up in smoke: the regenerators grounded by ash cloud

Earlier today we tweeted that we wanted to hear from people in the regeneration sector who have been affected by the volcanic ash cloud.

Here are a couple of people we've found so far.

Urban Splash co-founder Tom Bloxham, who we interviewed only a couple of weeks ago (full transcript here) tweeted nervously yesterday morning: "am suppose to be flying to Sydney for 2 days on tues eve to be keynote speaker at Aus Nat Architecture conf. But will I make it ..."

Meanwhile news reaches us that two members of DTZ's property management team are "trapped" in far-flung destinations.

If you've been affected, let us know how by commenting below.

Where they stand: Transport

Welcome to the third in our series of ‘where they stand’ pieces setting out the three main parties' manifesto pledges on a range of key regeneration-related issues. Below, we examine what the manifestos say about transport.

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Where they stand: Housing

Where they stand: Planning

Election 2010 live blog: Conservative Party manifesto

Election 2010 live blog: Labour Party manifesto

Election 2010: The politicians to watch

Election 2010: Let us know what you want from the next government

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Labour

• Manifesto says that a Labour government would consult fully on legislation to take forward high-speed rail plans "within the next Parliament". Labour's high-speed rail plans would see an initial line linking London to Birmingham, Manchester, the East Midlands, Sheffield and Leeds, and then to the North and Scotland, the manifesto says
• Says that a Labour government would press ahead with a "major investment programme" in existing rail services, "hugely improving" commuter services into and out of London, and electrifying new rail lines including the Great Western Main Line from London to south Wales
• A Labour government would "complete" the new east-west Crossrail line in London, according to the manifesto

• Manifesto says that a Labour government would extend hard-shoulder running on motorways, along with targeted motorway widening, including on the M25

• Rules out the introduction of national road pricing in the next Parliament

• Supports a third runway at Heathrow, "subject to strict conditions on environmental impact and flight numbers". Says that a Labour government would not allow additional runways to proceed at any other airport during the next Parliament

• Promises to ensure there are 100,000 electric vehicle charging points by the end of the next Parliament

Conservatives

• Says that a Conservative government would "begin work immediately" to create a high-speed rail line linking London and Heathrow with Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds. The second phase of the plans would bring the North-East, Scotland and Wales into the high-speed network, the manifesto says

• Says that a Tory government would stop plans for a third runway at Heathrow, and instead link the airport to the high-speed rail network

• Says that the Conservatives "support" Crossrail and the electrification of the Great Western Main Line to south Wales

• Manifesto says that the Conservatives would introduce a moratorium on building on disused rail lines still in public ownership, so they are available to be reopened

• Says a Tory government would "introduce incentives" for electricity network operators to establish a new national car charging network

• Says that the Conservatives would support sustainable travel initiatives that "work best for local communities" by giving the concerns of cyclists much greater priority, encouraging partnerships between bus operators and local authorities, and helping people cut down on work-related travel

Liberal Democrats
• Pledges to switch traffic from road to rail by investing in local rail improvements such as opening closed rail lines and adding extra tracks, "paid for by cutting the major roads budget"
• Set up a UK infrastructure bank to invest in public transport like high-speed rail
• Manifesto promises to give councils greater powers to regulate bus services according to community needs so that local people "get a real say over routes and fares"
• Promote safer cycling and pedestrian routes in all local transport plans
• Cancel plans for a third runway at Heathrow and any expansion of other airports in the South-East

• Says that the Liberal Democrats would "undertake preparations" for a system of road pricing in a second Parliament. Says that such a system would be "revenue neutral" for motorists, with "revenue from cars used to abolish Vehicle Excise Duty and reduce fuel duty, helping those in rural areas who have no alternatives to road travel"

Your verdict

You've now read what the manifestos have to say about transport. Let us know what you think of the respective parties' plans by commenting below. You can also vote in our poll (top right) to let us know which party's manifesto plans you think promise the most for regeneration.

Election 2010: Reaction to Tory 'Big Society' plans

Today’s issue of Regeneration & Renewal carries an analysis of the ‘Big Society’ chapter of the Conservative Party’s election manifesto – in particular looking at plans to give people the power to instigate referendums on any local issue provided that at least five per cent of residents sign up. In the course of my research I spoke to a number of professionals - read the comments of three of them here - working in the community sector and asked them how they felt about the proposals.

Some really interesting points were raised - not least on the referenda issue: one or two people said giving residents the power to oppose, or approve, any planned community renewal schemes in their area would be a good thing and would help to weed out unpopular projects doomed to failure because of their lack of local support. However, the vast majority said that it would more likely have a negative impact on the sector – delaying schemes and inviting uninformed individuals, who perhaps did not represent the interests of the neighbourhood as a whole, to make decisions around the complex issues associated with strengthening and improving communities.

Because of the wealth of good comment I received, I have listed below some examples that, due to lack of space, did not make it into the magazine. Any feedback is very welcome.

Please note, New Deal for Communities (NDC) partnerships and successor bodies were contacted for their views but, due to ‘purdah’ restrictions imposed on public bodies in the run up to elections, were unable to comment.

Russell Spencer, a consultant at Renaisi: “I am slightly concerned by these policies that suggest power and responsibility would be shifted onto people who are not skilled in community development and who are not fully aware of all the issues involved. I expect existing community organisations would be forced to take a step back and adopt more of a facilitator role rather than delivering regeneration projects themselves.

“I also think that the plans to encourage people to set up their own community groups etc are a bit pie-in-the-sky. Recent NDC evaluations have found that there is no evidence to suggest that there is this untapped wealth of committed and eager community volunteers just waiting to be asked to do more.”

[Spencer on the referendum proposals]: “On the one hand this could prove highly empowering for people but on the other, it could lead to important, although perhaps controversial, community regeneration schemes being vetoed by a small number of opinionated residents who find them unattractive. An example of such a project might be plans for a new ex-young offender rehabilitation centre. The centre might be very necessary in the area, but residents perhaps wouldn’t like the idea of having a load of ex-offenders in the local community.

Mark Parker, head of policy at community sector membership body Bassac: "Involving people in decisions about their community is vital. The key question is how referenda can best support both the wider community's wellbeing and help to defend minority interests. However, local democracy does need a shot in the arm and if referenda can provide that it will certainly help to make community politics more meaningful."

Steve Wyler, director of the Development Trusts Association (DTA): "The DTA welcomes plans that will allow local people to have more power over what happens in their communities as long as such plans are not over-burdened with bureaucracy and can deliver real community-led solutions. We would be keen to find out more detail on how such plans would be put into practice and would urge any future government to involve community-led organisations in the design to ensure that valuable community regeneration initiatives are not unnecessarily stalled.”

Glenn Jenkins, spokesman for Marsh Farm Outreach (community group based on the Marsh Farm council estate in Luton): “I think we will all be much busier if the Tories get in because the privatisation of anything that moves will lead to further and deeper fragmentation of our communities.”

Dick Ellison, chief executive of ETEC Development Trust, Sunderland: “The ideas contained in the Big Society manifesto are conceptually strong. However, in order to implement them effectively – especially the plans to encourage local people to set up their own neighbourhood groups and organise their own community-related activities – the party will need to provide major investment, in terms of funding, training and skills infrastructure and regulation. They have not mentioned the need for any of this.”

Where they stand: Planning

Welcome to the second in our series of ‘where they stand’ pieces setting out the three main parties' manifesto pledges on a range of key regeneration-related issues. Below, we examine what the manifestos say about planning.

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Where they stand: Housing

Election 2010 live blog: Conservative Party manifesto

Election 2010 live blog: Labour Party manifesto

Election 2010: The politicians to watch

Election 2010: Let us know what you want from the next government

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Labour

• Manifesto says that the newly formed Infrastructure Planning Commission will - “within a democratically determined framework” - help streamline and speed up decision-making on major projects
• Councils now have to ensure that the importance of local services to the community is taken into account before granting planning permission to change their use, manifesto says. A Labour government “will strengthen this” to protect viable shops, pubs and community facilities”, according to the manifesto
• Says that the area of Green Belt has increased over the last decade, and that “we intend to sustain it”
• A Labour government would maintain the target that 60 per cent of new development should be on brownfield land
• Manifesto says that a Labour government would review the structures that oversee English Heritage, “putting mutual principles at the heart of its governance so that people can have a direct say over the protection and maintenance of Britain’s built historical legacy”

Conservatives

• Would introduce a new ‘open source’ planning system. “This will mean that people in each neighbourhood will be able to specify the kind of development they want to see in their area,” manifesto says
• Would abolish regional spatial strategies and national and regional housebuilding targets
• Manifesto says that Tories would create a presumption in favour of sustainable development in the planning system
• Promises a faster approvals process for planning applications where neighbours raise no objections
• Says that appeals would be limited to cases that involve an abuse of process or a failure to apply the local plan
• Says that the Tories would abolish the Infrastructure Planning Commission and replace it with an efficient and democratically accountable system that provides a fast-track system for major infrastructure projects
• Manifesto pledges that all major infrastructure projects are considered at planning inquiries, which have binding timetables and which focus on planning issues, with final permission given by a minister
• Manifesto says that new local housing trusts would “allow communities to grant planning permission fro new housing within villages and towns”

Liberal Democrats
• Promises to close loopholes that allow playing fields to be sold off or built upon without going through the normal planning procedures
• Would require a local competition test for all planning applications for new retail developments
• Would abolish the Infrastructure Planning Commission and return decision making “including housing targets” to local people
• Says that the Lib Dems would create a “third party right of appeal” in cases where planning decisions go against locally agreed plans
• Create a new designation – similar to Site of Special Scientific Interest status – to protect green areas of particular importance or value to the community

Your verdict

You've now read what the manifestos have to say about planning (and housing, if you read last week's post). Let us know what you think of the respective parties' plans by commenting below. You can also vote in our poll (top right) to let us know which party's manifesto plans you think promise the most for regeneration.

Tory manifesto leaves more questions than answers

Regeneration was centre stage at the Conservative manifesto launch last week. But not in a way that would bring any comfort to those in the sector wondering what the future may have in store, writes Allister Hayman.

“Welcome to Battersea, a great British landmark ripe for regeneration, just like our country,” said William Hague, the Tory deputy leader, at the launch of the manifesto. The use of the old derelict power station – subject to so many schemes and visions over the past few decades – as a metaphor for Britain, and by extension, the “regeneration” that the Tory promise to bring the country was clever. But it was just that: all PR and no policy. For, apart from a section in the manifesto that praised Manchester’s urban regeneration (which has largely been directed by Labour both locally and nationally), regeneration was conspicuous only by its absence as a policy area in the manifesto.

We should not be surprised. Having been long promised a Tory regeneration green paper by Tory shadow regeneration minister Stewart Jackson that was endlessly delayed and finally shelved, the sector could not have expected much from the party in the way of clear regeneration policy. Previously, Jackson has said the regeneration paper would set out the Tory position on policy issues such as Tax Increment Financing, the reinstitution of the Single Regeneration Budget, local asset-backed vehicles and a proposed "forensic audit" of the Thames Gateway and housing market renewal areas. It was also expected to further clarify the future of economic development funding if regional development agencies are scrapped.

But now the sector goes into the election not knowing where the Tories stand on these and other issues that concern regeneration practitioners. With the Tories making Britain’s “Broken Society” a key theme in their pitch to voters it is not unreasonable to expect that they would have delivered on their promise to set out some policy positions for those who actually work on the ground in Britain’s so-called broken communities. Yes, they provided details of their 'Big Society' plan to reinvigorate the voluntary and community sector. But while giving residents the power to take control of local parks and swimming pools is commendable, that alone is not going to bring forward the regeneration of Battersea power station.

Such large-scale projects of course require public intervention, which in the case of Battersea will require public money to build an extension to the North Line. If regeneration is anything it is state intervention in market failure, which by its definition requires an active state. Yet the Tory manifesto and the rhetoric of senior members of the shadow cabinet, not least shadow business secretary Ken Clarke, have been increasingly hostile to such notions. Indeed, last week Clarke mocked Labour’s “active industrial policy” championed by business secretary Lord Mandelson and said the Tories would be much more hands off.

This is worrying. Arguably – and many economists do argue this – the Government’s interventions in the economy since the financial crisis were all that stopped the country from plummeting into a truly deep recession, perhaps even depression. Additionally, Lord Mandelson can point to some recent successes in attracting investment to the UK – Nissan’s green car, offshore wind manufacturers - which of course can not entirely be credited to Government policy, but nor can that same policy be entirely discounted.

But plainly, the Tories have hardened their position on the right-side of the economic debate and want a smaller state, and a bigger community sector. It will be a revival of civil society and an unleashing of enterprise that regenerates the UK they argue, not an active state. They want to boost the private sector’s share of the economy across the country - a laudable aim – but expect to do so without the “grants and subsidies” that Clarke said Mandelson has been distributing like “a Bourbon monarch [going] round in his coach throwing out gold coins”.

But many in the sector question whether such a laissez faire approach is really the right one. Yes business would benefit from cutting red tape – that is a given – but the economy remains weak and is in need of serious recalibration. As a recent report by the think-tank the Work Foundation made clear, the industries of the future – high tech manufacturing, green technologies, the creative industries – as well as the research and development and innovation that lead to as yet undiscovered opportunities, rarely emerge out of thin air.

Rather, they are conjured through partnerships between the public and private sector, as evidenced, for example, in Germany. The worry is that, in the Tories' championing of the third sector and their evident eagerness to hack back the state, the subtleties of these kinds of relations between public and private sectors may be trampled – and with them the green shoots of recovery. If Battersea is to be regenerated – and by extension the UK – the Tories would do well to recognise that just as they might like now to cut tax but can’t, so too should they realise that a little bit of action from the state to help recalibrate the UK economy would not be the end of the world. Indeed, it could be the start of a new one.

Where they stand: Housing

Welcome to the first in our series of ‘where they stand’ pieces setting out the three main parties' manifesto pledges on a range of key regeneration-related issues. The first in our series examines what the manifestos say about housing.

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Election 2010 live blog: Conservative Party manifesto

Election 2010 live blog: Labour Party manifesto

Election 2010: The politicians to watch

Election 2010: Let us know what you want from the next government

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Labour

• Promises to work with housing associations to develop a new form of affordable housing targeted at “working families on modest incomes who struggle in the private sector and rarely qualify for social housing”
• Says the party would reform the council housing finance system to “enable authorities to maintain properties at Decent Homes standard and to build up to 10,000 council houses a year by the end of the next Parliament”
• Promises to enable more people to get on the housing ladder
• Housing benefit would be reformed to “ensure that we do not subsidise people to live in the private sector on rents that other working families could not afford”

Conservatives

• Promises to make it easier for people to get on the housing ladder and make it easier for social tenants to own or part-own their home
• Says the party would introduce a “foot on the ladder” scheme to offer an equity stake to “good” social tenants, which could be cashed in when they move out of social rented accommodation
• Says a Conservative government would pilot a new “right to move” scheme and introduce a social home swap programme so social tenants can transfer their tenancy to another home or part of the country
• Promises to “respect the tenures and rents of social housing tenants”

Liberal Democrats
• Pledges to bring 250,000 empty homes back into use with “cheap loans and grants”
• Investigate reforming public sector borrowing requirements to free councils to borrow money against their assets in order to build a “new generation of council homes”, and allow local authorities to keep the revenue from these new homes
• Says the party would reform the “unfair” housing revenue account system

The numbers

The words 'housing' and 'homes' are mentioned 39 times in the Labour Party's manifesto, 18 times in the Conservative Party's manifesto, and 28 times in the Lib Dem manifesto.

Your verdict

You've now read what the manifestos have to say about housing. Let us know what you think of the respective parties' plans by commenting below. You can also vote in our poll (top right) to let us know which party's manifesto plans you think promise the most for regeneration.

Election 2010: They said it

Regeneration may not have featured heavily in the three main parties' election manifestos, but has been mentioned by senior politicians from all parties during the election campaign. Read on for a selection of five regeneration-related quotes from the election campaign so far.

"A building in need of regeneration in a country in need of regeneration" Tory leader David Cameron makes reference to Battersea Power Station, where the Conservative Party's election manifesto was launched earlier this week. The manifesto itself only included two instances of the word regeneration, both on a page praising the renaissance of Manchester.

"pg 100 manifesto, a boxout on 'manchester' - praising the regeneration, lovely pic of Imp war museum - is there a single elected tory there” Channel 4 News economics editor Faisal Islam dissects the Tory election manifesto on micro-blogging site Twitter.

"I think regeneration spending is very very important - we have put money into regeneration and actually it’s had an effect - but as we look forward it isn't the biggest priority we face" Ed Miliband, the author of the Labour Party's election manifesto, tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme that spending on regeneration is a "lower priority". The Party's manifesto later says: "We will make savings in regeneration funding and focus on tackling worklessness."

“He looks down his rather long toffee nose at the regions” Business secretary Lord Mandelson attacks Tory leader David Cameron after shadow business secretary Ken Clarke told the Financial Times that the regional development agencies would, in their current form, be replaced.

"Fire up the power station ... it's time for change" Tory leader David Cameron sounds uncannily like Nicola Murray, a character in BBC political satire The Thick of It, as he launches his party's manifesto. Murray, the secretary of state installed in the fictional Department of Social Affairs and Citizenship in the BBC series, had said in an early conversation with her advisers: "Fire up the turbo chargers, set the phasers to equality ... it's Murray time!"

Poll result: Your verdict on Tory 'Big Society' plans

The results of our latest poll are now in. We asked you to vote on whether the Conservative Party's "Big Society" plans would boost neighbourhood renewal.

The main policies included in the party's "Big Society" paper - and which formed a key plank of the Tories' election manifesto, launched earlier this week at Battersea Power Station - included a pledge to create a "neighbourhood army" of 5,000 professional community organisers and a promise to set up a "big society bank" funded from cash in dormant bank accounts (similar to the Labour Government's plans for a social investment bank). Returns from the £215 million Futurebuilders loan fund would be diverted towards community groups in disadvantaged neighbourhoods, according to the policy paper.

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Election 2010 live blog: Conservative Party manifesto

Election 2010 live blog: Labour Party manifesto

Election 2010: The politicians to watch

Election 2010: Let us know what you want from the next government

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Seventy-four per cent of the 67 blog readers that voted said that the plans would not boost neighbourhood renewal, while 20 per cent of respondents said that the plans would boost neighbourhood renewal. Four per cent of respondents didn't know.

This trend was largely mirrored when we asked the same question on our website, with 16 per cent saying the plans would boost neighbourhood renewal, 73 per cent saying it would not and 11 per cent voting "don't know". Altogether we received nearly 200 votes.

Please comment below to let us know what you think of the results.

NEW POLL: Now that the three main parties have published their manifestos, we're asking you to give your verdict on their implications for regeneration. Vote in our poll, top right, to let us know which party's plans you think promise the most for regeneration.

Picture credit: Steve Cadman, Flickr

Election 2010 live blog: Conservative Party manifesto

The post is now closed. Scroll down for coverage of the Conservative Party manifesto as it happened.

16.22 David Coulter, deputy chief executive of Co-operatives UK, said: “Co‑operatives UK welcomes the central theme of the document - empowering people to take control of government and state services - and the interest expressed in co‑operatives.

"Co‑operatives are an ideal vehicle for empowerment as they encompass democracy, solidarity and working together. They encourage trust and offer people to have a genuine say in the services that matter to them."

14.48 UK Green Building Council chief executive Paul King said: "We welcome the fact that the Conservatives have highlighted fiscal reform and outlined a number of key financial measures to support a low carbon economy. The commitment to a Green Infrastructure Bank sends an important signal, though it should focus on funding energy efficiency and low carbon infrastructure as much as new technology start-ups."

14.18 Tom Foulkes, director general of the Institution of Civil Engineers, said: “We welcome the recognition that extensive and reliable infrastructure will underpin a rebalanced and low carbon economy and that continued investment in UK infrastructure is needed. The proposed Green Investment Bank, as in Labour’s manifesto, is a positive step and it is encouraging to see consensus on the need to find new ways to direct investment towards infrastructure.

“However there is little detail on how such a bank would attract the scale of investment needed to fulfil the Conservative’s vision for new infrastructure – from a new High Speed Rail network through to a fleet of new power stations. It is also important any new funding mechanism supports the roll out of existing infrastructure technology as well as new, green technology start ups."

12.46 Plaid Cymru has also published its manifesto today. It proposes a venture capital fund to help small businesses and includes plans for high-speed electrified railways. Read our coverage here.

12.42 The manifesto promises to boost the private sector's share of the economy in every region outside London and the South-East. It also confirms the Tory Party's plans to give councils and businesses the power to form their own business-led local enterprise partnerships to replace RDAs, with the caveat that "where local councils and businesses want to maintain regionally based enterprise partnerships, they will be able to". Read our story here.

12.37 We'd like to hear your reaction to the plans in the Conservative Party's manifesto. Let us know what you think by commenting below, or emailing jamie.carpenter@haymarket.com

12.15 Manifesto reaffirms the Conservative Party's commitment to scrap regional spatial strategies and regional and national building targets. Read our story here.

12.12 Cameron's speech now over. His parting shot: "People power, not state power. Big society not big government."

12.08 Cameron says that there is a real choice between Tories and Labour "on our society". A Labour government would mean "more big government", with the "poorest getting poorer" and inequality at record levels. He says: "These are social problems, they need a social response. It is time for a big society."

12.04 Cameron: "There is such a thing as society. It's just not the same thing as the state."

12.01 Cameron: "Let's say to people if you can work and turn down work you will not go on getting benefits."

11.59 Cameron: "We stand for society". He says that under a Conservative government communities would solve social problems that cause spending to rise.

11.56 Cameron: "We'll give you the power to take control of the local planning system ... we'll give you the power so you can take control."

11.52 Cameron now speaking. He says that Battersea Power Station is a "building in need of regeneration in a country in need of regeneration".

11.45 Shadow communities secretary Caroline Spelman now speaking. She promises more power to local councils, more city mayors and to cut the number of quangos. She said that a Tory government would allow residents to take control over the size and shape of any building development in their area.

11.32 Michael Gove says inequality is getting wider. "We want to treat the symptoms of our social problems."

11.30 George Osborne now up. He says that Britain needs a new economic vision.

11.18 William Hague now on stage: "Battersea Power Station ripe for regeneration, just like our country." BBC says event is likely to last for around 90 minutes.

11.14 The shadow cabinet are on stage waiting for Cameron to speak. Everybody's Changing by Keane is playing in the background. We've now got hold of a copy of the manifesto. It's dark blue, sober looking and more than 100 pages long.

11.02 The Tories will be launching their election manifesto at Battersea Power Station.

10.35 Plaid Cymru is launching its election manifesto in Cardiff. More details soon.

09.49 You can read our live coverage of yesterday's launch of the Labour Party's election manifesto here. To recap, it pledged savings in regeneration spending, tougher action against antisocial behaviour and plans for mayoral referenda in statutory city-regions.

09.45 Plaid Cymru is also unveiling its election manifesto this morning. We'll bring you details of its contents as we receive them.

09.40 Today sees the launch of the Conservative Party's election manifesto (at the moment we're expecting it to be launched at around 11am). Stay tuned for details of the key regeneration-related measures in the document and reaction from the regeneration sector.

Election 2010 live blog: Labour Party manifesto

This post is now closed. Scroll down for coverage of the launch of the Labour Party's 2010 election manifesto as it happened.

16.40 David Coulter, deputy chief executive of Co-operatives UK, said: "Co-operatives UK welcomes the prominence that the Labour Party’s manifesto gives to co‑operatives and mutuals. We think it is better to allow people to do things for themselves and therefore welcome the Labour Party’s restated commitment to mutualisation in pubs and football clubs, following our campaigns on these issues, and to opening up new possibilities for co-operative business such as rail operation."

16.25 Dermot Finch, chief executive of the Centre for Cities think-tank, said: “It’s good to see plans for mayors with London-style powers across England’s largest city regions (in the Labour manifesto). We’ve been calling for ‘metro mayors’ over the past five years. Elected mayors would have a direct personal mandate to take difficult decisions across city regions about how to grow their economies. They would engage voters and provide strong leadership, accountability and strategic vision.”

15.51 Umbrella body the Community Development Finance Association has welcomed a line in the manifesto promising to increase lending in deprived communities, to be paid for by a levy on the banks. CDFA chief executive Bernie Morgan, said: “Labour has made a positive start. Now it’s time for the other parties to say ‘see you and raise you’. As well levying the banks, the next government should step up state funding for third sector lenders, as Obama’s administration has done."

15.10 Paul King, chief executive of the UK Green Building Council, said: “Labour is right to emphasise the wider benefits of a transition to a low-carbon economy in terms of fairness, security and new jobs in its manifesto. Sustainable living needs to be easy and affordable for everyone.

“We welcome the proposed introduction of the Green Investment Bank to invest in low-carbon infrastructure, the prominence given to legislating to introduce Pay As You Save schemes under which home energy efficiency improvements can be paid for from the savings they generate on energy bills, the commitment to require landlords to properly insulate rented homes, and to give local authorities new powers to develop local energy systems including district heating."

14.20 Stuart Etherington, chief executive of umbrella body the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, reacts to proposals in the manifesto, including plans to put the Compact Commission on a statutory footing. “Greater strength for the Compact and the promotion of schemes that allow communities greater control over local public buildings are great news for the sector but we would be concerned at any proposals to divert Lottery money away from voluntary organisations,” he says.

13.51 What do you think of the plans in the manifesto? Let us know your views by sending an email to jamie.carpenter@haymarket.com or commenting below.

13.50 Interesting. Manifesto contains plans to allow residents in statutory city-regions to trigger a referendum on whether to have a metro mayor.

12.43 Manifesto promises a reform of council housing finance system to enable councils to build "10,000 council houses a year by the end of the next parliament".

12.30 Manifesto says that regeneration policies have "transformed previously neglected communities". But it adds that "we will make savings in regeneration funding and focus on tackling worklessness, transforming the prospects of those areas most disconnected from the wider economy".

12.28 Have finally managed to download a copy of the manifesto. Will report back shortly with the key regeneration-related headlines.

12.06 Brown's speech is thin on detail - I guess the manifesto itself will contain more information. He finishes by promising to equip the British people for the future. "We are in the future business," he says.

12.04 PM promises tougher action on antisocial behaviour and a rising minimum wage.

11.55 Brown says manifesto's policies are rooted in the day-to-day concerns of the British people. The policies would make Britain "fairer, greener, more accountable and more prosperous", he says.

11.53 Brown begins his speech.

11.44 Brown has arrived, to cheers. BBC says that it has got a hard copy of the manifesto, which has Labour's election slogan, "A Future Fair for All", written across the top.

11.38 Members of the cabinet are filing in ahead of the manifesto launch. Applause.

11.05 Ed Miliband, author of the Labour Party manifesto, told this morning's Today programme that regeneration spending is a "low priority". "I think regeneration spending is very very important - we have put money into regeneration and actually it’s had an effect - but as we look forward it isn't the biggest priority we face when we face some other competing priorities," he said.

10.35 Yesterday's Sunday Mirror said that Gordon Brown would put a pledge to build 50,000 new council houses at the heart of the Labour Party's manifesto, which is due to be published later this morning.

10.30 The Financial Times also includes an interesting piece this morning on Labour's progress in meeting its 2005 manifesto pledges. It says that pledges to establish at least 200 academy schools by 2010 and to have a neighbourhood policing team in every community have been fulfilled. But targets to tackle child poverty and increase home ownership have been missed, according to the newspaper.

10.25 The Financial Times says that the manifesto will include the creation of a £4 billion “UK Finance for Growth” fund – mainly financed by the private sector – to help start-ups and a commitment to a range of supply-side measures including high-speed rail and a roll-out of broadband.

10.20 Daily Telegraph reports that the Labour manifesto will include a promise of new laws to let individuals apply for antisocial behaviour orders. The newspaper also reports that Labour would guarantee a 24-hour response to any complaint of antisocial behaviour.

10.10 Apparently Ed Miliband, the author of the Labour Party's manifesto, told the Today programme this morning that regeneration and legal aid were a low priority.

10.05 Later this morning the Labour Party will launch its manifesto. Stay tuned for details of the key policies contained in the document and reaction from the regeneration sector.

Book review: Reclaiming East Manchester

A new book has been published to mark the end of the New Deal for Communities programme in east Manchester.

Reclaiming East Manchester: Ten years of resident-led regeneration is by photographer and writer Len Grant, who was commissioned back in 2008 to produce a book to chart the development of the area during the decade-long NDC programme. I initially assumed the book would be heavily PR-y, but I was pleasantly surprised. Through a fairly impressive portfolio of photographs as well as interviews with regeneration professionals who were involved in the work and dozens of residents, Grant documents what east Manchester was like to live in before the NDC programme began, key events in the history of the scheme, problems that were encountered and how residents feel about the area now.

However, I thought the most interesting bit was the front section, which includes prefaces by John Prescott, Sir Richard Leese, leader of Manchester City Council and, most importantly, Sean McGonigle, who was NDC co-ordinator for the area between 1999 and 2009.

McGonigle previously led the council's housing programme in the then run-down city-centre districts of Hulme and Moss Side - for that reason you would assume he'd have been used to seeing areas of extremely entrenched deprivation. But, he writes, when he visited Lower Beswick in east Manchester for the first time in 1997, he was shocked. "I'd worked in housing for many years but I'd never seen anything like it," he says. "It was scary as hell. There was row upon row of boarded-up properties, with brown metal shuttering over all the doors and windows. Rubbish and burnt-out cars were everywhere. The place was just awful and it left a deep impression on me."

McGonigle tells how he was tasked with putting together a bid for east Manchester to the Estates Renewal Challenge Fund (ERCF) - a programme left over from the previous Conservative administration - only to have it rejected by the Government. The book includes an extract from the response letter by Hilary Armstrong, then minister for local government and housing, which said: "My concern about the ERCF bid which Manchester submitted is that I am not convinced that...spending money solely on social housing would deal with the overall problems facing east Manchester."

A few months later Armstrong visited east Manchester and announced that the Government was developing a new approach to sustainable regeneration - "something more appropriate for this area", as McGonigle writes - which would later become the NDC programme.

McGonigle writes candidly about the challenges of getting the NDC projects started. "We were faced with some angry and dissatisfied residents...who had a very low opinion of the city council. They felt let down and abandoned and we had an uphill struggle convincing them things would get better," he says, and mentions three particularly vocal female residents who he dubbed 'the Witches of Eastwick'. He also suggests how things could have been done differently, saying the way residents were elected to sit on NDC boards was not always fair, as particularly opinioned individuals often dominated discussions and made it difficult for other residents to be heard.

All in all, this first section in particular is well-worth a read. Visit http://www.thisiseast.com/ for more information about regeneration projects in east Manchester. Len Grant, meanwhile, has another book coming out later this month about social exclusion, which we will no doubt be reporting on...

Election 2010: What to make of Tory national citizen service plans?

Yesterday Tory leader David Cameron announced his plans for a 'national citizen service' for 16-year-olds. He even managed to get Michael Caine along to back the scheme - which was a bit cringeworthy simply because it was such an obvious choice (note Caine's own childhood spent growing up on a south London estate and his recent role in Harry Brown, which tells the story of youth gang crime in Elephant & Castle).

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Election 2010: The politicians to watch

Election 2010: Give your verdict on Tory 'Big Society' plans

Election 2010: Let us know what you want from the next government

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According to Cameron, this citizen service scheme (NCS) would be a voluntary two-month summer programme of "social action" that all 16-year-olds would be given the opportunity to take part in. Activities would include things like helping the elderly and other useful tasks intended to support the local community - although the document outlining NCS is quite thin on specific examples. In a speech yesterday, Cameron said that the programme would "instil a sense of social responsibility in young adults, re-engage disadvantaged young people and encourage people from different backgrounds and ethnicities to mix together".

But, as much as I agree with the principles of it all, I'm just not sure it would work. For a start, Cameron's plans to divert money from existing government schemes aimed at boosting community cohesion in deprived areas is dubious at best. The NCS is meant to be open to all 16-year-olds - not just those growing up in disadvantaged families and neighbourhoods. To use money intended to support people in disadvantaged neighbourhoods is surely not right - even if there is a need for a wider government programme to engage everyone in social action?

Also, the plans do not seem to have taken into consideration the potential difficulties in making disengaged, "problem" kids interested in the programme. Yesterday Cameron talked at length about how he didn't want the scheme to become compulsory - instead he wanted it to be viewed as a "rite of passage" for young people; something that they would expect to do "as they would expect to take GCSEs" - " I want it to be compelling and attractive in its own right," he said.

I'm not saying this type of programme should be made compulsory - from past conversations with people who work in the voluntary sector most believe it would be extremely counter-productive to force people to volunteer as it goes against everything the sector stands for - but it certainly seems idealistic at best to hope that young people would want and "expect" to enrol on a social action programme, especially when the party hasn't produced any clear strategy for encouraging them to do so. It also assumes a certain amount of parental guidance perhaps, and a pre-existing desire to help others and get involved in a very tightly structured national programme - which is not everyone's cup of tea and could end up excluding people further (see page 9 of the party's NCS document - it looks pretty rigidly organised to me).

Then again, I could be wrong - maybe this is just what people need. We're tracking down the evaluations of the pilot schemes that Cameron is basing his ideas on so we can find out how successful they were. Watch this space.

Picture credit: Sunlight Development Trust

Video: Olympic Park fly-through

"Transformation is well under way", says Olympic gold medallist turned broadcaster Jonathan Edwards in the latest video from the Olympic Park team. Watch it here.

Election 2010: let us know what you want from the next government

An interesting feature in yesterday's Society Guardian asked social policy experts from a range of public services and charities to set out what they want from a new government. In the article, Sarah Webb, chief executive of professional body the Chartered Institute of Housing, says that the next Government "must prioritise housing or our wider recovery will take longer and be more painful". Stephen Bubb, chief executive of third sector umbrella body the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations, meanwhile, calls for the future government to "commit to developing a thriving social investment market based on a powerful social investment bank".

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Election 2010: the politicians to watch

Election 2010: give your verdict on Tory 'Big Society' plans

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We'd like to hear what regeneration practitioners would like the next administration to prioritise. Is there a new policy you'd like to see introduced that you think would boost regeneration in your area? Or would you like to see a particular programme protected from future public spending cuts?

Please let us know the policies you'd like to see implemented by a new government by commenting below.