Latest news with #IndependentCommissiononNeighbourhoods
Daily Mirror
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
Interactive map shows England's crime and poverty levels and the divide is huge
A stark new report by the Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods (ICON) warns the most disadvantaged areas of England are feeling a growing sense of insecurity A landmark study has warned England is now 'two nations' when it comes to levels of crime and deprivation. The report, by the Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods (ICON), warns the most disadvantaged areas are feeling a growing sense of insecurity which is fuelling political disaffection. The study, which analysed changes from 2001 to 2021 using latest available census data, found that across the country in those two decades total crime fell by 13% from 102 to 88 crimes per 1,000 people. But in the most disadvantaged areas, termed 'mission critical neighbourhoods', it fell by just 2%, from 258 crimes per 1,000 people to 252. It means many parts of the nation are stagnating, leading to fewer opportunities for young people, said Baroness Hilary Armstrong, ICON's chair. A mission critical area is when a neighbourhood is failing each of the five benchmarks of success according to the government's 'missions'. Those benchmarks are: Economic growth, opportunity, health, crime, energy. If an area scores 80 out of a possible 100 (with 100 being the worst mark), it is deemed as being 'mission critical'. There are one million people living in 613 mission critical neighbourhoods, the report says. Crime in those neighbourhoods is 2.9 times higher than the national English average. The North East has the highest concentration of mission critical neighbourhoods per region, the study found. The Redcar and Cleveland constituency has six alone, and the report found that there is not one single place in the area where an A-level can be studied. The study, Progress and Pressure: Understanding Economic and Social change in England's Neighbourhoods, is due to be launched on Thursday. Redcar is following the trend of many coastal towns, the report said, with a "clear and persistent pattern of disadvantage affecting coastal communities". The same disadvantage can be seen in places such as Blackpool, Lancs, and Ramsgate, Kent. It added: "Stretches of coastline from Kent to the Isle of Wight are marked by dense clusters of decline, with towns such as Hastings, Bognor Regis and the Isle of Wight now on a clear downward trajectory." After a surge of investment in areas such as East London, the capital is now the only region in England that does not contain any mission critical neighbourhoods. ICON polling earlier this year found that 20% of those in mission critical areas believed that crime was a 'major issue' in their local neighbourhood – double the number in the least disadvantaged places (9%). Four times as many people in high-need neighbourhoods called illegal drugs a 'major issue' compared with those in the lowest need places. The study has also found that investments in social infrastructure, such as community centres, youth clubs, arts and culture and sport, can make a positive impact. The most mission critical constituency is Blackpool South, with 96% of its seat population in high need neighbourhoods. It is followed by the Isle of Wight East with 94%, Bradford West with 90% and Clacton with 85.5%. By Local Authority area, Blackpool has 97.8% of its population in high need neighbourhoods, followed by the Isle of Wight with 90.7%, Fenland in Cambridgeshire with 84.6%, Hastings in East Sussex with 83.9% and Torridge in North-West Devon with 83.7%. Per region, the north east has the highest concentration of Mission Critical areas, followed by Yorkshire and Humber, the North West, the East Midlands and then the West Midlands. Baroness Armstrong, who was Minister for Social Exclusion under Tony Blair, told the Mirror: 'The government needs to understand, right across the board, that if they can get things right in these neighbourhoods, then they will get growth, and they will not need to be dependent on migration.' She cited one case where a school deputy head in Redcar referenced a student who had the capacity to go to university but they did not believe it. The height of this student's ambition, who was working in a local pizza shop, was to become the pizza maker as they earned more money, she said. 'In places like Redcar, it means aspirations are very low, Baroness Armstrong added. There is not one place where you can study there for an A-level. So you cannot be a nurse, for example. These neighbourhoods get left behind, and they have no ambition.' The regions with the lowest levels of crime are Cheshire East, the East Riding of Yorkshire, the Vale of White Horse, Buckinghamshire, and Mid Sussex. The report said the 2000s were broadly a period of national and neighbourhood improvements in health, education and employment, and that the gap between the richest and poorest areas narrowed. The employment rate for the worst-performing 10% of neighbourhoods rose from 31.4% to 54.6%. But during Tory austerity between 2011 and 2021 employment rates fell across the board with the sharpest dip in the poorest areas, where the average employment rate fell back down to 46%. Baroness Armstrong said infrastructure alone is not enough for the deprived areas. "We need to intervene and support local communities and make sure there is social infrastructure so people in these areas can work together, and so there are youth activities," she said. 'There are things that can be done but the intervention has to be long term.' She cited one local area, which did not want to be identified, where a local police force had paid for an all weather football pitch, and afterwards had 'zero' anti-social behaviour in the neighbourhood. 'It's about getting people at local level to identify their problems, and then using imagination and creativity to tackle those issues. There needs to be coordination across the government and an understanding that infrastructure alone will not crack these problems - local people need to be at the centre of everything.' The report said concerns about crime are fuelling a wave of political disaffection. Nigel Farage 's Reform won 80% of the mission critical neighbourhoods that were up for election in May compared to 40% of all other neighbourhoods up for election. Labour had represented 59% of the mission critical neighbourhoods before elections in May and has now just 2%.
The Guardian
01-03-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Labour must target deprived areas or lose out to Reform, says former minister
Keir Starmer's government must strictly target the delivery of its core 'missions' at areas of maximum deprivation or lose huge numbers of votes to Nigel Farage's Reform UK, an independent commission led by a former Labour cabinet minister will suggest this week. The Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods (ICON), chaired by Labour peer Hilary Armstrong, a former party chief whip and housing minister, will say the government risks 'wasting billions of pounds in higher public spending while failing to transform the places that need it most' unless it adopts the targeted approach. The report identifies more than 600 'mission critical' neighbourhoods in England that are most in need of investment and are critically short of 'social infrastructure' and the 'physical and community facilities that bring people together to build meaningful relationships'. Eight of the 10 parliamentary constituencies cited by the report as most in need of investment are in the Midlands or the north of England. Many are 'around cities such as Manchester, Liverpool, Sunderland and Newcastle – as well other post-industrial regions like the West Midlands (including Birmingham)', it says. A briefing document to government ministers, based on the report's findings and seen by The Observer, says that even since the general election last summer there is evidence that Reform has deepened its support in these most deprived areas. The note, written ahead of the report's publication on Wednesday, says: 'The number of highly disadvantaged neighbourhoods based in seats demonstrating high support for Reform (30%-40% vote share) has increased significantly since the election, from just 4.8% of these neighbourhoods to 26.2%. The number of those based in 'Reform stronghold' areas (those polling above 40%) has also risen from 1.4% to 4.8%. All existing Reform MPs have some of the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods in their seats.' Polling carried out for the commission, which will also be published on Wednesday, shows support for the Reform party is driven by voter concerns about issues such as antisocial behaviour, crime and litter on the streets. The commission identified the UK's areas most in need by analysing local attitudes to crime, health, energy, jobs and educational achievement, alongside publicly available data. As part of the in-depth investigation it used that data to compile an index of areas that score poorly when measured against the government's five 'missions'. The accompanying briefing adds: 'Constituencies containing neighbourhoods that are furthest behind on the government's missions tend to be those that are demonstrating greater support for Reform.' Starmer's government set out the missions ahead of July's general election to focus minds on Labour's policy offering. The missions promised to deliver safer streets, economic growth, green energy, better education and NHS reform. The report argues that a 'trickledown' approach – the idea that the most in need will benefit over time from a policy delivered nationally rather than in a more targeted way – is destined to fail. The polling, carried out by Public First, found that 'highest need' neighbourhoods were more concerned about litter (53%), antisocial behaviour (49%) and illegal drugs (48%) than 'lowest need' neighbourhoods. The report will urge ministers to 'transform places street by street, estate by estate' through public investment in 'social infrastructure' and by supporting economic development. With focusing support on areas most in need it risks 'wasting billions of pounds in higher public spending while failing to transform the places that need it most'. ICON was launched in September 2024 to address the challenges faced in England's most disadvantaged neighbourhoods. The government is understood to be looking closely at its work and ministers are meeting regularly with the commission. Others on the commission include the mayor of the North East, Kim McGuinness, and former government advisor Dr David Halpern. Last month YouGov published the first national opinion poll to suggest that Reform UK had overtaken Labour, placing it on 25%, one point ahead of Labour and four ahead of the Conservatives.
