There is considerable scope to empower individuals and groups through civil renewal, to take local action to improve the quality of life in their community.

This will include working with participants through projects that allow them to express their concerns relating to crime, family breakdown, bringing up children, health and mental health well being, their education, access to activities/facilities, concerns about their living environment etc.

Then seek to address some of those concerns for example, in developing health related initiatives - such as fitness classes, smoking and drug rehabilitation, healthy eating and cooking, finance management, food purchasing schemes etc. This approach has recently been successfully piloted for a six-month period on the Warwick Way estate and “Community House” projects in Earl Shilton, Hinckley and Bosworth also offer a model that could be considered.

Activity would seek to engage all people living in defined specific areas with a concentration of inequalities. These would be small areas identified through analysis of super –output area statistics and the programme will focus on a manageable number of priority areas for targeted joint action.

Emphasis would be on people issues, including identification through co-ordinated inter-agency referrals. The scheme would aim to provide targeted support through one to one or small group activity focused initially on practical life skills/style issues.

The approach is also likely to lead to signposting onto learning, health, crime prevention, tackling anti-social behaviour initiatives, neighbourhood renewal, personal development and employment. Identifying and supporting facilities in the locality where these projects could run will be a key part of the initiative.

It is envisaged that these would need to be long term interventions that would need to be sustained. This scheme has the potential to relate directly to the Geographical Priority Areas being developed for Stronger Communities theme of the Local Area Agreement.