AIM

  Thriving, inclusive and sustainable communities in all regions.

OBJECTIVES AND PERFORMANCE TARGETS

  Objective I: work with the full range of Government Departments and policies to raise the levels of social inclusion, neighbourhood renewal and regional prosperity.

  1.  Promote better policy integration nationally, regionally and locally; in particular to work with departments to help them meet their PSA floor targets for neighbourhood renewal and social inclusion.

  2.  Make sustainable improvements in the economic performance of all English regions and over the long term reduce the persistent gap in growth rates between the regions, defining measures to improve performance and reporting progress against these measures by 2006. Joint target with HM Treasury and DTI.

  Objective II: Provide for effective devolved decision making within a framework of national targets and policies.

  3.  Provide the opportunity by the end of this Parliament for a referendum on regional government in regions where there is a demand for it.

  4.  Improve delivery and value for money of local services by:

—  introducing comprehensive performance assessments and action plans, and securing a progressive improvement in authorities' scores;

—  overall annual improvements in cost effectiveness of 2% or more; and

—  assisting local government to achieve 100% capability in electronic delivery of priority services by 2005, in ways that customers will use. (This is also the value for money target.)

  Objective III: deliver effective programmes to help raise the quality of life for all in urban areas and other communities.

  5.  Achieve a better balance between housing availability and the demand for housing in all English regions while protecting valuable countryside around our towns, cities and in the greenbelt—and the sustainability of existing towns and cities—through specific measures to be set out in the Service Delivery Agreement.

  6.  All local planning authorities to complete local development frameworks by 2006 and to perform at or above best value targets for development control by 2006 with interim milestones to be agreed in the Service Delivery Agreement. The Department to deal with called in cases and recovered appeals in accordance with statutory targets.

  7.  By 2010, bring all social housing into decent condition with most of this improvement taking place in deprived areas, and increase the proportion of private housing in decent condition occupied by vulnerable groups.