The Government says it has listened to – and implemented – the ideas put forward in far-reaching consultation with people living in deprived areas.It says that more than 85 per cent of the 569 recommendations made by cross-cutting Policy Action Teams (PATS) are now central to Government strategy aimed at improving deprived neighbourhoods.

The PATS brought together people living and working in deprived areas with Whitehall officials and others to hammer out how best to bring prosperity and opportunity to England’s poorest neighbourhoods.

Eighteen different teams looked at issues such as bringing in jobs & skills, how to deal with unsocial behaviour and how to manage housing and neighbourhoods.

The National Strategy for Neighbourhood Renewal: Policy Action Team Audit charts progress on the PATs’ recommendations – a Neighbourhood Wardens Unit which has been set up within DETR with 18.5 million pounds available over four years to fund neighbourhood warden schemes; 45 million pounds has been allocated to setting up neighbourhood management pathfinder programmes – schemes which attempt to deal with problems at neighbourhood level; and the Children and Young People’s Unit has been set up following the work of one of the PATS, to drive forward the implementation of cross-Government objectives for this group.

The PATS made 569 recommendations – 491 have been accepted by the Government, with a further 68 partially accepted or still under consideration.

A compendium of PAT report summaries and the audit of implementation is found at www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/seu.