Taskforce Data

Mr. Andrew Turner
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the (a) cost, (b) objectives, (c) key performance indicators, (d) performance against each such indicator and (e) achievements are of (i) the Urban Task Force, (ii) Local Strategic Partnerships, (iii) the Neighbourhood Renewal Unit, (iv) the Active Community Unit, (v) the Social Exclusion Unit and (vi) the Urban Policy Unit.

Mr. Woolas
[holding answer 12 October 2006]: The information requested in respect of the Neighbourhood Renewal Unit, the Social Exclusion Unit and the Urban Policy Unit is available in the Department for Communities and Local Government Annual Report and on the Department’s website at www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1501648. On item (i) the Urban Task Force reported in July 1999 and information can be found in the annex to the 2000 Urban White Paper “Our Towns and Cities: the Future”.

Local Strategic Partnerships are voluntary partnerships which bring together, at a local authority level, the different parts of the public sector as well as the private, business, community and voluntary sectors. They were formally introduced in the Local Government Act 2000 alongside the duty for local authorities, in partnership with the community and local agencies and organisations to produce a Community Strategy to improve the well-being of their area.

The work of the Active Communities Unit was part of the Home Office. It has now been incorporated in the office of the third sector in the Cabinet Office. Information on the performance of the former Active Communities Unit is available in the Home Office departmental report available on the Home Office website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/annual-report-06.pdf?view=Binary.