Problem Estates

Part of the debate – in Westminster Hall at 2:30 pm on 30 June 2005.

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Photo of Phil Woolas Phil Woolas Minister of State (Local Government), Office of the Deputy Prime Minister 2:30, 30 June 2005

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for those comments, especially as I referred to his constituency earlier. I add to his remarks by saying that last week we announced a further 61 private finance initiative and ALMO schemes, which will invest another £3 billion to tackle more than 125,000 non-decent homes. One of this Government's great successes has been to make people's homes better. Like my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister, I acknowledge that our priority has been to make those homes decent rather than to build extra social housing—we have done that too, but not as much as we could have done had we not prioritised decent homes. But that is the right decision, and I say that as someone who used to live in a house that was not decent. Tenants will recognise that.

I shall draw my remarks to a conclusion, Mr. Marshall, as I have spoken for longer than I intended and I want other hon. Members to be able to contribute.

The evidence shows that the high visibility of wardens, police community support officers, estate caretakers, Sure Start workers and volunteers on the estate, combined with a sense of ownership through what we call neighbourhood empowerment—basically, putting together residents with suits—can dramatically improve an area. Those who think that their area is better off and who want to increase that measurement should put wardens, PCSOs and other high visibility workers in there; they will find that it works. I am sure that hon. Members on both sides would agree.

With the range of initiatives that I have outlined, we have refocused our policy. We are determined to plough ahead with our strategy. We want local public service agencies to work together. We believe that it will improve clarity for neighbourhoods. We believe that it will improve the services received by individuals on those estates. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, which is spearheading that approach across Government, will use the local area agreements to ensure better co-ordination across Whitehall. We will need joined-up Government if the strategy is to be effective, but most indicators show that the gap between the most deprived areas and the rest is narrowing, and of that we can be proud. We know that many of our estates are intolerable for those who live on them, and we are determined to win the war against deprivation.

Thank you, Mr. Marshall, for allowing me the freedom to speak for longer than I intended. I apologise to the Chamber if I have tried Members' patience.