Evaluation of the Impacts and Outcomes of the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund

Background

The Neighbourhood Renewal Fund (NRF) is the principal funding mechanism deployed to drive forward the National Strategy for Neighbourhood Renewal at the local level. It has assisted England's most deprived authorities, in collaboration with their Local Strategic Partnership (LSP), in their work to improve services and narrow the gap between deprived areas and the rest.

NRF is intended to contribute towards improvement in mainstream services particularly (but not necessarily exclusively) in relation to Government floor targets, local targets identified in Local Neighbourhood Renewal Strategies (or broader Community Strategies) and other deprivation-related Government targets.

Task

The evaluation aimed to:

• review the impact and outcomes of NRF in meeting national and local priorities for neighbourhood renewal
• generate new evidence about the role of NRF and it’s contribution to neighbourhood renewal
• analyse and summarise existing monitoring and other data relating to NRF use and impact.

Assignment

The evaluation involved a survey of all LSP co-ordinators in areas receiving NRF; a review of DCLG’s monitoring data (including Statements of Use) and available evaluation reports. We undertook in-depth case studies with 14 LSPs, interviewing a range of stakeholders and over 150 managers of NRF funded interventions.

Findings

DCLG has used the findings of the study (though still awaiting publication) to inform the future of NRF, to inform their submission to the Comprehensive Spending Review 2007, and to inform the recent HM Treasury review of sub-national regeneration and economic development. 

Contact