RE-COMMITMENT TO REGENERATION NEEDED

That a senior minister from the Communities Department was busy railing against a left-wing conspiracy he percieved amongst countryside conservation groups, who object to proposed changes to the planning system, just as unprecedented rioting broke out in London, is evidence of the growing reality gap between much of government and England's major urban areas.

This is not to say that the Coalition, or Conservative politicians, are more to blame for the outbreak of violent unrest, arson and looting than the previous administration and now political opposition. For the structural under-employment, worklessness and social breakdown of many urban communities was largely by-passed during Britain's boom years, except in so far as the aspirations of their growing young populations were raised unrealistically by the consumer society they have now turned upon through collective acts of theft and destruction.

Urban regeneration during New Labour was largely housing and retail-led, with city centres like those of Birmingham and Manchester becoming ever-expanding shopping malls, whilst deprivation in many immediately adjoining areas continued to be a major problem due to the ongoing decline of industries which once provided mass employment. The same is true across much of London. That shopping centres should now become the focus for unrest is not surprising, although the actions of the past few days remain inexcusable.

Whilst these are not riots of the kind experienced in the 1980s, with modern gang culture clearly playing a much more significant role than collective social and political grievance, some of the key underlying causes of earlier violent unrest have, nevertheless, not only remained untackled but increased over the last twenty five to thirty years. Amongst these is not just the quantitative decline of manufacturing employment, but the relocation of this to areas outside major cities.

This process was facilitated by the planning policies of Conservative governments during the 1980s, and is once again being encouraged by Coalition proposals currently subject to public consultation. In addition, the government's Regional Growth Fund appears to favour speculative greenfield development, ill-defined as "growth", of the kind which could well lead to a further exodus of employment from major urban areas, and, indeed, the inner parts of smaller cities.

Instead of these potentially disastrous measures, the Coalition must make a re-commitment to the regeneration of England's major cities, with the creation of skilled-employment a priority. Only when young people there have the prospect of work that offers the possibility of a genuine livelihood, and where their skills and contributions secure the respect of peers and the wider community, will the need to turn to collective criminality be sustainably reduced.

Management of deep-rooted economic problems through increased policing and social programmes of the kind pursued by New Labour may have the short-term affect of supressing the symptoms of malaise, but make the situation worse in the longer-term. However, much of the most sensible comment in the run up to the 2011 riots has come from "Blue Labour" Peer Maurice Glasman, someone who could well be part of a possible political solution, along with "Red Tories" and senior Liberal-Democrat MPs like Simon Hughes.

The present government, meanwhile, must make regeneration centre stage again, and the work of ministers and civil servants within the Department for Communities and Local Government needs to be re-prioritised accordingly. With Parliament re-called tomorrow, this British summer can no longer accommodate a political silly season.