Community, CSR management, Environment

A skills development programme for managers and other key players in urban regeneration partnerships, Winning Partnerships, was announced by the then Environment Secretary, Michael Howard MP, at the Cities '93 Conference in Birmingham on May 24. Devised by the Civic Trust with funding from J Sainsbury and the DoE, training courses and an award for best practice will be available, covering the whole process of setting up and sustaining partnerships.

However Michael Howard, since promoting to the Home Office, failed to announce a further round of City Challenge, but did hint that funds released from the winding down of the Urban Programme might be available in future, depending on an evaluation of the results of the first two rounds. The new Environment Secretary, John Gummer MP, has yet to make clear his intentions. Contact DoE on 071 276 3000

Property-led urban regeneration has had little impact on local unemployment in inner city communities, according to a report by the University of Durham on two UDCs conducted for the Baring Foundation and the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust. Published on May 12 and based on Tyne & Wear and Teesside Development Corporations, More than Bricks and Mortar? says UDCs should be less secretive about their activities and have a clear community remit. Although both corporations have helped create more than 16,000 jobs, many are not really "new" and the report predicts the government will conclude UDCs have turned out to be an expensive experiment with a high cost-per-job and poorly targeted benefits. Contact the Secretary, Department of Sociology and Social Policy, on 091 3742310

A not-for profit brokerage agency was launched on May 18 to encourage the City to hire more people from neighbouring socially deprived areas. Local Recruitment Brokerage is a partnership between the Bank of England, Kleinwort Benson, S G Warburg and a range of public sector agencies such as the Corporation of London and Islington and Hackney Councils. It offers a one-stop contact point for employers liaising with the variety of inner city agencies helping job applicants. Gareth Hughes of Kleinwort Benson will chair the new agency. Contact Jackie Sadek or Caroline Reeson on 071 628 3373

Six urban regeneration projects received the BURA Best Practice Award from BURA President, Lord Jenkin of Roding, at a ceremony in Leeds on April 20. Sponsored by Leeds-based law firm, Eversheds Hepworth & Chadwick, the awards received 82 nominations and the winners included Little Germany in Bradford, Dean Clough in Halifax and the Albert Dock in Liverpool. Contact BURA on 071 253 5054

Wales could become one of Europe's most prosperous regions by the year 2010, according to a report published on May 11 by the Institute of Welsh Affairs. The result of an 18-month, £300,000 study by a group of young senior managers and professionals, it includes 82 specific recommendations, including

placing education centre stage in preparation for the knowledge intensive industries of the future

setting up a Welsh Enterprise Foundation to encourage an enterprise culture.

Wales 2010 was inspired by the Policy Studies Institute's 1991 report Britain 2010, but instead of forecasting the future, sets out a vision of what could be. Contact Dave Lewis on 0222 222496

The Welsh Development Agency's funding is rising by £9 million to £30 million, David Hunt MP, the then Secretary of State for Wales, announced on May 4. The money will be spent on 32 urban development projects. Since the announcement, David Hunt has been re-shuffled to Employment, with John Redwood MP taking over at the Welsh Office. It remains to be seen how his perceived non-interventionist stance will affect the Department's programmes. Contact Welsh Office on Cardiff 82564

Business in the Communities' Professional Firms Group has taken a lead in continuing the efforts to regenerate the Burgess Park area in Southwark, London, despite the failure of the scheme to win City Challenge funding. A report of the Burgess Park Urban Design Action Team, with recommendations for future action, was presented by John Worthington, member of the Professional Firms Group, at a meeting on May 28 at J Sainsbury's headquarters. Contact Tracey English, BITC, on 071 629 1600

Corporate Citizenship Briefing, issue no: 10 - June, 1993