The Wakefield District Local Strategic Partnership (LSP), which was recently launched by the Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown, has welcomed news that it has received Government Accreditation for the second year.

The LSP was formally established in February 2002 and has worked hard to make sure that the Council and its partners, including the police and the health sector, deliver services and initiatives that work together better and are more effective.

Over the past two years the LSP has allocated £5.5 million of Neighbourhood Renewal Funding (NRF) across the District, as part of the Partnership’s strategy to deal with some of the more serious problems facing neighbourhoods, such as high crime, unemployment, poor health, low educational attainment, poor housing and poor local environment.

Re-accreditation by the Government means that a further £4.4 million of NRF will be available to the District this year with the possibility of a further two years funding from 2004.

The LSP is soon to publish the Community Strategy for the District, which will include the vision of the District in 25 years time as developed by local people, particularly young people. Action Plans will be developed and targets set to deliver the vision and will be continually monitored by the LSP.

Chair of the Wakefield District LSP Cllr Peter Box said, “We are delighted that the LSP in Wakefield has been accredited for another year. It is testament to the hard work of the partners across the District who have worked together over the past 12 months, to seek real improvements with regard to the economic, social and environmental well-being of the District’s residents”.