Leadership required to improve quality of life

Our new report ‘Quality Streets’ challenges decision-makers to fill the "policy vacuum" that has resulted in a patchy and inconsistent approach to tackling quality of life issues in the region. The report argues that the social well-being of the Northwest is suffering from a lack of coherent leadership.

According to the report, which focuses on 'why quality of life and neighbourhood environments are vital to a thriving Northwest', local and regional government needs to think more broadly and more holistically in its efforts to improve quality of life. What's more there is a need for social and environmental well-being to be championed, not side-lined in the Northwest.

The ‘Quality Streets’ report welcomes the current process of simplifying the regional strategies into one single document; "This presents us with a unique opportunity to embed some concrete social targets into our plan for the region."

'Quality Streets' also calls on regional and national decision-makers to target the Northwest's most disadvantaged people in innovative and bold ways. The report argues that; "The economic recovery, when it eventually comes, will only fully take effect if the social and environmental conditions are in place to act as a foundation."

Ian MacArthur, Groundwork's Regional Director said: "A good quality of life for the residents of the Northwest is not an added extra. What really matters to people can often be just a few steps from their front door. The quality of parks and open spaces, the look and feel of their neighbourhoods, a sense of community. Economic development is hugely important, but, as we have often seen, overall increases in productivity often do nothing to help the deprived and socially excluded. Now is the opportunity to embed social and environmental factors into future policy."

The report concludes that extensive research has shown that neighbourhoods — the areas where people live and come together as a community — have a huge influence on quality of life; “There exists a strong link between low quality environments and poor health and anti-social problems. Given that the Northwest has some of the worst local environments in the country, regenerating them must continue to be of the utmost importance to all concerned with making the Northwest the best it can be. This will require bold steps and new thinking to enable joined up focus on quality of life, and actions at the street level we can help to ensure we build resilient communities for the unique challenges of the twenty-first century.”