Local authorities in Scotland are pressing the Chancellor of the Exchequer to involve them in discussions about council investments in failed Icelandic banks. The Confederation of Scottish Local Authorities is also calling for a three-sided meeting between councils and the English and Scottish governments.

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Mental Health service users and carers in Wales are being encouraged to play a greater part in the planning, development and delivery of services. The Welsh Assembly Government has published a new guide setting out people’s rights.

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New Deal for Communities partnerships are the key driver for the New Deal for Communities Programme launched in 1998. This report presents a picture of community engagement based on sample case studies. This dimension of the programme rests partly on the premise that local people are the real experts about the problems in their communities and about why previous attempted solutions may have failed. It also recognises that residents and community groups in neighbourhoods experiencing multiple forms of deprivation are often socially excluded and reveal low levels of social capital.

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