Public opinion is New Start’s forum for discussion. Blog entries are posted by site members from all over the sector, and discussion of the topics presented is encouraged. Becoming a member is completely free and gives you the opportunity to help contribute to the most exciting portal for regeneration, economic development and sustainable communities on the web. Site membership is now open, and you can be registered and begin submitting entries in less than 5 minutes! Just use the links at the top of the page.
A rascal comes of age
This week the new duty to involve comes into force, while the duties to promote democracy and for councils to respond to petitions are being considered in the Local Democracy Bill which is making its way through parliament. All this a mere 714 years …
Posted on Monday, 30th March 2009 | This entry has 1 comment(s)
From my high-rise window, there are three blots on the landscape which have spread over the last few months and blighted my view across Hackney, east London.
It’s usually quite pleasant, I can trace the crow’s path from nearby Dalston steeples across the green fuzz of Victoria Park to Canary …
Posted on Monday, 30th March 2009 | This entry has 2 comment(s)
On Tuesday we held our fifth fantastic Enterprising Young Brits Awards at the prestigious Institute of Directors (IoD) in London! The event was as inspiring as ever and it was a great chance to meet past finalists and lots of successful young entrepreneurs. Chancellor Alistair Darling was on hand to …
Posted on Friday, 27th March 2009 | This entry has 0 comment(s)
Having just become the first person in the world to complete the Renewal Quotient Quiz I feel duty bound to urge everyone else to have a go.
It's an online questionnaire designed to calculate your town or city's capacity for renewal, or RQ (renewal quotient). It's all pretty painless. Is …
Posted on Friday, 27th March 2009 | This entry has 0 comment(s)
It's refresh time for the Compact and last week I received a letter asking the Commission for the Compact to lead a process to redraft the Compact documents for public consultation later in 2009. The letter was sent by Kevin Brennan MP, Minister for the Third Sector, and Simon Blake, …
Posted on Friday, 27th March 2009 | This entry has 0 comment(s)
The Social Enterprise Coalition (SEC) was in Luton this week to host an event for Black and Minority Ethnic Communities aimed at promoting the opportunities presented by social enterprise.
Inevitably, there was a lot of discussion about the role social enterprise can play in facilitating the economic recovery …
Posted on Thursday, 26th March 2009 | This entry has 0 comment(s)
New Start, in collaboration with Community Links, is holding a discussion group this afternoon in Sheffield on how to build stronger, more supportive communities during the recession.
The ideas will be fed into the prime minister’s Council on Social Action. We will be providing live blogs during the meeting from …
Posted on Thursday, 26th March 2009 | This entry has 1 comment(s)
Tough times amidst the recession are apparently forcing commuters to ditch their cars and public transport and switch to using their bikes to get to and from work.
Undoubtedly, opting to cycle rather than drive does bring financial benefits but what often go undersold are the environmental and long-term health …
Posted on Wednesday, 25th March 2009 | This entry has 0 comment(s)
As a teenager, I worked in an Oxfam shop for one afternoon a week, selling Barbara Taylor Bradford books and Val Doonican records to pensioners.
We'd get the occasional person under the age of 30 in the shop, but it was usually some kid forced to come in as a …
Posted on Monday, 23rd March 2009 | This entry has 1 comment(s)
While the British Urban Regeneration Association’s (Bura) community inspired regeneration awards ceremony at the House of Lords was all about motivating people and showing how change is possible, a recurring theme in the day was how difficult it has become to transform our poorest neighbourhoods.
Lord Andrew Mawson, co-founder and …
Posted on Monday, 23rd March 2009 | This entry has 1 comment(s)
Interesting to read your discussion paper …
I agree with you about the probable cuts, move to on-line services, etc. But it would be nice to be a bit more specific – areas like affordable housing have risen up the agenda and could well be protected by either new …
Robert Bullard on 8th February 2010:
Austerity in rural England.... any glimmers in the darkness?
At least Heseltine showed some ability to learn from experience while involved in regeneration. He moved deftly from the heavy-handed UDCs to some of the early partnership approaches such as City Challenge. During New Labour we seem to have lost the ability to identify best practice, to apply it consistently …
Nick Bailey on 4th February 2010:
Why Heseltine is wrong man to lead on regeneration
I don’t wish to denigrate the stance taken by the individuals and organisations involved with improving rural communities, but some questions do spring to mind…
Firstly…the use of language is so important to enable participation at all levels, having been involved in community regeneration for almost 15 years, this is …
Bill McCallum on 4th February 2010:
Austerity in rural England.... any glimmers in the darkness?
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