FOI request (FOIR-563620460)

Neighbourhood Element of the Safer and Stronger Communities Fund

Requested Tue 21 November 2023
Responded Mon 11 December 2023

I am submitting a request under the Freedom of Information Act regarding the award to your local authority of £1.6 million of government funding of the Neighbourhood Element of the Safer and Stronger Communities Fund (SSCF NE), over four years from 2006 to 2010.

The Safer and Stronger Communities Fund brought together various government funding streams with the aim of tackling crime and anti-social behaviour, empowering communities and improving the public realm, with the SSCF NE targeted at the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods, that is the 3% most deprived Lower Layer Super Output Areas (LSOAs) as measured by the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD).

Funding under the Neighbourhood Element was to be allocated by Local Strategic Partnerships (LSPs), within the framework of Local Area Agreements, where they existed, and was designed to support LSPs in promoting community safety, liveability and community engagement in the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods, through initiatives such as a neighbourhood management arrangements.

Could you please provide me in electronic form (Word document or PDFs):

1. Confirmation that the local authority/LSP was awarded funding under the SSCF NE, and how much it was awarded.

2. Which LSOAs in the local authority area received the SSCF NE (that is, SOA identification codes at the time of the award).

3. Documentation agreed with the regional Government Office outlining how the SSCF NE was going to be spent.

4. Details of the neighbourhood management arrangements introduced under the SSCF NE.

5. The report of the mandatory local resident evidence baseline survey commissioned by the local authority/LSP in the LSOAs which received SSCF NE funding at the commencement of the award (likely to be 2006).

6. The final report of the mandatory local resident baseline survey commissioned by the local authority/LSP in the LSOAs which received SSCF NE funding towards the mid or end point of the award (likely to be 2007/08, 2008/9 or 2009/10).

7. Any evaluations conducted by the local authority/LSP of the performance of the SSCF NE and/or on the introduction of neighbourhood management arrangements, including any other qualitative or quantitative data on its local impact.

8. If there is still a LSP for the local authority area.

9. If the local authority currently operates neighbourhood management arrangements, details of how and where neighbourhood management operates, and any documents detailing its performance.

Response

Hastings Borough Council holds no information in respect of this request.