Social inclusion and libraries - a resource guide : Cabinet Office Social Exclusion Unit Web Site

Social inclusion and libraries
a resource guide

Cabinet Office Social Exclusion Unit Web Site

The SEU was first responsible for publishing the seminal Bringing Britain together: a national strategy for neighbourhood renewal (September 1998) Cmnd 4045. It then commissioned 18 Policy action Teams to work through the issues, and produced in 2000 the National Strategy for Neighbourhood Renewal: a framework for consultation. This is available on-line or in PDF, with an Executive Summary in both formats.

This lays out 30 key ideas on neighbourhood renewal: libraries are mentioned in Key Idea 1:

making adult skills a priority in deprived neighbourhoods, by developing neighbourhood learning centres in deprived areas, possibly built on existing facilities like libraries. These would be run by local people and would offer attractive ‘first-rung’ courses to tempt people back to learning.

The Library Association’s response to the National Strategy is published at http://www.la-hq.org.uk/directory/prof_issues/natstr.html

Policy Action Team Reports (full text) are at http://www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/seu/index/pat.htm

(18 in all - on-line or PDF)

* mention libraries

PAT 1: Jobs	PAT 10: Arts and sport
PAT 2: Skills *	PAT 11: Schools plus *
PAT 3: Business	PAT 12: Young people
PAT 4: Neighbourhood management	PAT 13: Shops
PAT 5: Housing management	PAT 14: Financial services
PAT 6: Neighbourhood wardens	PAT 15: Information technology *
PAT 7: Unpopular housing	PAT 16: Learning lessons
PAT 8: Anti-social behaviour	PAT 17: Joining it up locally
PAT 9: Community self-help	PAT 18: Better information

Policy Action Team Reports (summaries) are at http://www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/seu/2000/Compendium/default.htm

In April 2000, the Department of the Environment Transport and the Regions announced that the Government launches strategy for poorest estates. This was the Deputy Prime Minister’s announcement of the national strategy for neighbourhood renewal.

A letter from the Rt. Hon Hilary Armstrong MP, Minister for Local Government and the Regions (9 August 2000) "What next for the national strategy for neighbourhood renewal?" outlines new spending plans under the 2000 spending review for community regeneration and development, the overall policy approach, and promises an Action Plan for the National Strategy. This was followed by news [25 September 2000] of a new unit to bring 'joined-up' approach to neighbourhood renewal.

A new commitment to neighbourhood renewal: national strategy action plan. (January 2001) provides the summation of the work of the Policy Action Teams, covers England only but is intended to underpin work in the other home countries. It is available in hard copy or pdf. It has scant mention of public libraries.

A report National Strategy for Neighbourhood Renewal - Policy Action Team (PAT) Audit is available for download in pdf. It lists Department by Department what action is being taken in response to the PAT’s recommendations, and contains useful information about funding streams.

A more recent report Preventing Social Exclusion is now available in all formats on the SEU web site, and it summarises its work up to the early part of 2001.

Last updated: Tuesday, 28 August, 2001

Compiled by Research and Innovation Services on behalf of the Community Services Group of The Library Association
in conjunction with the Community Development Foundation