New Boss for New deal

Interview between 
John Clark & Kim Streets
13th June 2002

John Clark is 40. ‘It’s a life-changing time’, he says, ‘which is probably why I’d been looking at moving’. John grew up in Grangetown in Middlesborough and joined the Employment Service at 17. 23 years later he’s giving up his job as Economic Development Manager of Five Lamps, (an organisation managed by residents in Middlesborough), to take-up the job of Director of Burngreave New Deal. 

Why did you want to come to Burngreave?
When you’ve screamed for years that 3, 4, 5 year programmes aren’t enough – the 10-year concept of New Deal is a big attraction. There are real issues in Burngreave, there are structures in place, and there’s a real feeling that the community are going to have an involvement in the process and that’s what I want.

The Year One delivery plan stated that New Deal would nurture existing organisations – but when you look at the Year Two plans this is no longer evident. Why has this happened?
I’m not aware of it – I’ve seen the Year Two delivery plan, but not the Year one as yet. My belief is that you have to nurture what is around and I want to go back and talk to organisations like BCAT and BCAF and find out their perception and what they see as their role. My view is that the money is here for the community and I’m here to facilitate that to happen. 

One criticism is that New Deal money is being used to fund services – such as policing - that should be provided anyway. Is the community losing out?
The key thing about New Deal is that it is about bending mainstream programmes. It needs to be a lever to make them work differently, so they deliver services the way the community needs them. 

You’ve mentioned New Deal’s 10-year programme – yet many projects are only funded for one year. How will you address this?
That’s something that I am conscious of and I think there has been some short-termism even in appointments. New Deal is quite difficult because, obviously, what the government are saying is, ‘we want quick wins’, so that people see a short-term change. I’m not convinced that’s the right way to go, you’ve got to do things that have a lifetime. 

Many people are disillusioned with New Deal. How do you plan to involve people who feel that New Deal has nothing to do with them?
One of the priorities is that people know that board members aren’t the only way you can get your views heard. There’s got to be meetings that are open and advertised – but we need to look at different ways to get people to consult. It might be having boxes in post offices and community centres where people can give their views, as well as people who go out and talk to people in the streets and get an understanding of what it’s like to be here.

BCAT face closure in July unless they secure funding. How do you see their future?
I haven’t had a chance to meet with BCAT yet. What I’d want to do is talk to BCAT about where they are now, what funding strategy they have in place and how New Deal will play a part in that. They obviously have an important role to play in New Deal for Communities and it would be a travesty if they weren’t around for the future. But I don’t think that anyone from New Deal can say, ‘we are going to solve their funding problems’ - what you normally find is if there’s funding problems there are also other issues within an organisation that they need to address as well.

Doesn’t the fact that Burngreave has been awarded £52 million make it difficult for groups to find money from elsewhere?
It is a problem and I’m going to have to broker deals with the agencies that hold the other funds. £52 million sounds like a lot of money – but it doesn’t change anything because there’s £250-£300 million that you’re expected to bring into the programme. £53 million won’t tackle the key issues without practical and financial support from other areas. So it’s about real money coming in as well as the services. 

It’s been difficult for community groups to access funding from New Deal. How will you improve this?
We do intend looking very urgently at the process of how people apply and I think that we need to have different levels of funds so that if you’re applying for small amounts of money you can get access to that quickly. 

What are your priorities for the year ahead?
There are a number of issues around crime and drugs – so that’s got to be a priority. We’re not going to solve those problems in the short-term and I think the reality is that it’s all about education. So for me, some of the key projects are facilities in the heart of Burngreave so that staff are part of the community and people can come in and talk to us on a daily basis and be able to have their views heard. It’s also important that there is a facility for people to come and train locally and develop skills. The other one is developing projects for young people. The future is young people and through them we can change the perception of the area. 

So, finally there’s a rumour that you were seen stumbling out of the club on Spital Hill – is that true?
When I came up I said,’ what you see is what you get’. I don’t believe that I have any airs and graces. It doesn’t matter who people are I’ll get on with them. So yes, I went out – if I’m going out I’ll go in any pub.

Had you had a skin-full?
I hadn’t actually. I’d gone out for a walk that night and there were a couple of people stood outside and I just started talking to them about the shooting and what’s it like? They said it’s not as bad as you think, why not come in? So I went in and stayed for a few hours….

John starts his new job on July 15th and he’s looking to rent in the area. His wife Trish and son Callum hope to join him soon. 

Find out more about Local Government and the New Deal in Burngreave. What do you think? Join the debate on our Local Government and the New Deal bulletin board.