The Neighbourhood Renewal Fund (NRF) aims to enable England’s most deprived local authorities to improve services, narrowing the gap between deprived areas and the rest of the country.
After a Spending Review in 2000, the Government set targets for improved outcomes by public services in deprived neighbourhoods.
The targets mean that Government departments, local authorities and other service providers are being judged for the first time on their performance in the areas where they are doing worst - not on the national average.
The targets were examined in 2004 to ensure that, at a local level, those delivering services, like schools and police, focus even more strongly on the key challenges of neighbourhood renewal.
A key element of NRF is the improvement of mainstream services to produce better outcomes in the most deprived areas. This means increased employment and improved economic performance, reduced crime, better educational attainment, improved health , better housing and cleaner, safer, greener public spaces.
The Neighbourhood Renewal Fund has provided £1.875 billion over the period 2001-2006, and plans to provide another £525 million between 2006 and 2008, to 88 of the most deprived authorities in England to help them improve public services in their most deprived neighbourhoods and meet key local and national targets for narrowing the gap with the rest of the country.
NRF is a targeted grant that can be spent in any way that will help to improve the quality of life and social and educational attainment of those people most in need. The grant is intended to be for a limited time only to facilitate the more effective, long-term targeting of mainstream resources.
NRF funded Stoke Speaks Out between 2004 and 2006 by £700,000 to develop training and raise awareness of speech, language, attachment and bonding in Stoke-on-Trent. This impacts on the targets of raising educational attainment, improving health and improving economic performance.
NRF has continued to fund Stoke Speaks Out through 2006 – 2007 by £500,000 to continue improving the speech, language attachment and bonding of children who live in the City of Stoke-on-Trent.
