Communities Minister Stephen Williams was in London’s East End to launch a national programme for neighbourhood involvement in running services with local priorities.
The programme called ‘Our Place’, launched yesterday at St Paul’s Way Centre in Bow Common, is already being tested at 12 pilot areas including Poplar.
“We want communities to take more responsibility for the services in their neighbourhoods,” he said. “These pilot areas are seeing benefits of going back to local communities.”
A consortium led by the Locality network including local authorities, backed by £4.3 million Whitehall funding, aims to support 100 communities tackling issues at neighbourhood level.
It offers a chance for people to get involved in tackling problems that matter most in their areas.
The Minister heard from volunteers in Poplar’s ‘Health Champions’ project, for example, which could save the NHS a potential £4 million over five years. It promotes healthy lifestyles and better treatment for those risking diabetes in the East End which has higher levels than the national average.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here