Tottenham regeneration should be led by independent body, report recommends

The Independent Panel on Tottenham said in its report, "It Took Another Riot", (90-page / 6.53MB PDF) that a "dedicated governance structure" should be created for Tottenham. This should be able to "drive social and physical regeneration by promoting joined-up government and securing any necessary funds and powers from central government and the Greater London Authority (GLA) in order to do so," it said.

The report said that Tottenham's lack of coordination was the "single strongest message" to come from the panel's research. It recommended that the new governance structure should include representatives from the GLA and from Haringey Council.

The panel said that the intention was not to create "a parallel council", but rather "to align what are currently separate departmental strategies conceived, managed and financed in isolation from one another, and help drive through the complex changes that need to be made in parallel".

The panel also suggested that improvements in the area would require help from central Government in the form of granting the governance structure "certain powers and flexibility currently unavailable to the Borough". In return, the panel said the area would have "the potential to deliver growth in jobs and homes quickly and cost-effectively using its existing infrastructure".

The report sets out a number of other recommendations for the area, including an increased housing supply with a greater mix of public and private tenure; increased focus on reducing unemployment and a more rigorous enforcement of existing housing standards to "reduce churn and overcrowding".

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, appointed Sir Stuart Lipton in December 2011 to chair the panel and to produce a report with recommendations on the regeneration of Tottenham following last year's riots.

"There can be no doubt that Tottenham needs greater support in grappling with the challenge of delivering jobs and improved infrastructure and this report details the challenges we face to achieve this," said Johnson in a statement. "The idea of a new organisation to help drive forward lasting change in Tottenham is particularly compelling and one that I will be looking at closely."

“A new vision for Tottenham will create real change for the community producing growth and social change," said Sir Stuart Lipton. "The GLA have already shown their financial support and commitment for new projects. Opportunities in Tottenham will allow Government to implement existing policies for change which, with appropriate substantial financial support, will make a real difference to the area.”

The GLA said that the Mayor’s Chief of Staff, Sir Edward Lister, and Haringey Council leader, Claire Kober, will meet early in the New Year to discuss the report’s findings and the future plans for Tottenham’s regeneration in more detail.