Perspectives on regeneration: Pam Stewart (1)

Pam Stewart was working as a community volunteer when first interviewed in January 2007. This summary has been approved for publication.

The issue in a soundbite

You need to find out what’s going on and that in itself is the task. Once you know what’s going on you can join them together.

Background and key challenges

Plans are good, but break down at the implementation stage. There are families and individuals with entrenched problems who need help, but they are receiving it from too many uncoordinated agencies. Wigan is able to produce superb paperwork but it’s watered down when put into action.

Accountability is an issue – someone needs to carry the can. Projects need a driver to be accountable and report back, not just a group of people who don’t take personal responsibility.

I would say the key issue at the moment within the borough of Wigan is a lack of coordination. There are lots and lots of little pockets of really good work going on within areas, but what tends to happen is an area will be highlighted as a super output area or an area of deprivation, the funding will then be attached to that area, all the usual suspects chase the funding, and they all do little pockets of good work but there’s no coordination.

It’s the implementation and accountability, I think that’s where we break down. Somebody actually carrying the can and saying, right, I will be responsible for this initiative and I will drive it.

I think we are putting barriers in place and then saying let’s remove barriers. We’ve got officers in one department putting all these barriers in place, and then we’ve got officers in this department working with you to remove all these barriers, and then here you’ve got a funding officer working with you to get you the money to do it. The futility of it seems to escape people.

Progress so far

The major thing is genuine partnership working. Twenty years ago officers were parachuted in, did what they thought was wanted and went away again. Things failed because people didn’t have ownership of it. Barriers have started to break down now.

We have started to have designated areas with designated people. People don’t use jargon any more. People are happy to work with the community and for the community to take ownership of it.

Hopes and aspirations for Regenerate

Regenerate are ideally placed – they’re coming from outside. This area tends to be quite unforgiving. I think empowerment and encouragement and their capacity to make people see outside the box will work well. They put people at ease.

What should be achieved after 18 months?

Compared to ten years ago there’s some excellent work going on, but it’s not coordinated. Once you know what’s going on you can join them together.

I would hope for a direct link between coordinated projects that are achieving outcomes. People going into training, children going into further education.

I want cohesion. When Regenerate leave here, I want the people that live in the super output areas of this borough, I want them to know what’s available to them, when it’s available to them and how they access it. Not just that one little pot that’s working in that one little estate… I want all the little pods that are working to have some interaction so that they actually link what they’re doing so that we get a better outcome – because there’s some really, really good work going on.

Engaging with people: you need to find out what’s going on and that in itself is the task. Once you know what’s going on you can join them together, and it’s making that link and being that link, but you need to find out actually what’s going on so it’s a mapping exercise.

What needs to be done in the next four months?

Mapping – we need the mapping to start the coordination.

An awareness of what’s going on. If when Regenerate leave that’s the only thing they’ll have left behind, as a member of the NRF panel that funded this I’ll be really happy in the fact that we need this piece of work to be done, but up to now nobody’s ever done it.