No excuse for dirtier streets in poor areas, says study
Streets in deprived neighbourhoods could be kept as clean as those in more affluent areas using existing resources, according to research.
The study by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) analyses the reasons behind better-off areas having cleaner streets and lists ways local authorities can ensure more even standards.
The research was undertaken by a team from Glasgow University’s department of urban studies and Herriot-Watt’s school of the built environment and involved areas of Fife, Leeds and Lewisham.
Clear evidence of a narrowing gap between poor and better-off areas was established in the two English case study local authorities, while in the Scottish example there was an improvement overall, but a slight widening of the division.
The study identified a number of important contributory factors including low income, number of children and proportion of young adult households, as well as the physical characteristics of neighbourhoods – high housing density, small or no gardens and disused buildings.
Low-income households and higher-density housing – irrespective of deprivation – were judged to be the two most prominent factors behind environmental problems.
The report’s authors described skewing resources towards more deprived areas as ‘a start’ but warned the method ‘may not be enough’.
‘Effective targeting involves providing the right level and the right kind of services. The existence of inappropriate or inefficient forms of service suggests that more equal outcomes could be achieved within existing budgets.’
A range of practical steps were also outlined–
· Identifying and mapping risk factors
· Gathering the views of front line staff
· Making small adjustments to national performance measures and targets to incentivise local authorities.
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