Communities

We are experiencing an interesting increase in calls, shall I say, from prime contractors to the Single Work Programme. These calls are regarding the placing of individuals on the vocational and personal development programmes that my staff strive so valiantly to obtain funding for and then to deliver.

The phrase Big Society is banned and you’ll find little kowtowing to the government’s agenda. But Knowsley is still taking a pragmatic approach to cutbacks, discovers Austin Macauley

As challenging areas go, few come tougher than Knowsley. Situated along the eastern fringe of Liverpool, over the last 20 years the borough has consistently featured among the UK’s most deprived areas on almost every indicator.