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Communities eager to promote social inclusion
12/10/1998
The level of interest in new Social Inclusion Partnerships SIPs shows a real commitment among Scottish communities to tackle the deprivation on their own doorsteps.
Launching a revised Scottish index of deprivation, which provides an up-to-date picture of urban poverty, Scottish Area Regeneration Minister Calum MacDonald said:
"This Government is committed to fighting social exclusion and its causes. We have already committed over £2 billion to a comprehensive programme of action to promote social inclusion and our Social Inclusion Partnerships, backed by investment of £48 million, will be one of our key weapons for tackling social exclusion on the ground.
"To help ensure that the Social Inclusion Partnerships reflect our social inclusion agenda, we have appointed an advisory group, drawn from the membership of the Scottish Social Inclusion Network, to make recommendations on the proposals for new Social Inclusion Partnerships.
"More than 50 community partnerships have expressed interest in becoming Social Inclusion Partnerships so far, which demonstrates their commitment to rooting out social exclusion wherever it exists.
"We commissioned a revised deprivation index from the University of Glasgow to help ensure that our policies are targeted to help those who suffer most from social exclusion. It will be of immediate help to the new advisory group when assessing proposals for Social Inclusion Partnerships in deprived areas."
Some of the key findings from the University of Glasgow are:
· there has been little change in the relative position of the most deprived areas between 1991 and 1998.
· concentrations of deprivation continue to be mainly a feature of urban areas.
· the most deprived areas in Scotland are concentrated in Glasgow.
· Dundee, Renfrew, Edinburgh, North and South Lanarkshire, Inverclyde, and West Dunbartonshire also feature in the worst ten per cent.
BACKGROUND
1. The Scottish Office commissioned researchers from the Department of Urban Studies at the University of Glasgow to update the existing index of deprivation used to identify concentrations of deprivation. The new index includes both census and non-census data, and is based on an analysis at postcode sector level. The previous analysis, completed by G Duguid in 1995, was based solely on an analysis of 1991 Census data.
2. The selection process for new Social Inclusion Partnerships will have two stages. The first stage, involving the submission of expressions of interest is currently underway. An advisory group, drawn from the members of the Scottish Social Inclusion Network will consider these expressions of interest and make recommendations to Ministers on which bids should go forward to the second stage. The short list of bidders who proceed to the second stage will be invited to draw up full bids. The advisory group will advise on these full bids. Ministers intend to be in a position to announce the designation of new Social Inclusion Partnerships early in 1999.
3. The advisory group, which will be chaired by David Belfall, Head of Housing and Area Regeneration Group at The Scottish Office Development Department, will have the following membership:
Douglas Sinclair of COSLA
David Coulter of Scottish Enterprise
Peter McKinlay of Scottish Homes
Mike Marron of Scottish Power (representing the CBI)
Frances McCall
Stephen Maxwell of SCVO
Tracey White of the STUC
Christie Smith, Head of Area Regeneration Division.
4. Copies of the report cost £5 and can be obtained from The Stationery Office.
News Release: 2060/98
12 October 1998