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Each
city was asked: What would be the key message you want to give to the
EU president about the involvement of the private sector in
regeneration? This was in effect a summing up of their views, and
they are included in appendix 5.
There
is general agreement that the private (commercial) sector has an
important and growing role to play in neighbourhood regeneration. The
role is complex – not simply the provision of financial resources to
replace dwindling public sector resources, but as the basis of a
sustainable community. This means taking the sector as a serious player
in the neighbourhood, even if its commitment to place may be less than
its commitment to its own objectives. But that is not dissimilar to
other stakeholders – even residents who may have other options available
to them.
Getting the sector involved in public/private partnerships means
recognising what the sector both seeks from the partnership and can give
to it. The partnership is usually established by the public sector,
which is responsible for strategic planning and leadership. For the
public sector this involves new ways of working, new ways of thinking
and new relationships. There may need to be incentives, and compromises
to maintain the private sector’s involvement. The use of intermediaries
as a link between the public and private sectors – now in operation in
many of the cities in the Entrust programme – point a way forward. |
