Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott has intervened to help save Leicester’s biggest regeneration scheme, following pleas from the Leicester Mercury.

The Mercury has been fighting to keep the £50m New Deal project for the Braunstone area on track after the main supporting organisation, the Leicester Housing Association, threatened to withdraw its backing.

And in a front-page opinion piece (below), the paper urged the deputy prime minister to throw his weight behind the scheme, which aims to revive the Braunstone estate and improve the quality of life for its residents.

Now Mr Prescott, who is the Government’s head of regeneration, has pledged to take immediate action.

In a letter to Mercury editor Nick Carter, he said: “In recent days, you have been reporting on concerns about the future of the New Deal for Communities programme in Braunstone.

“We recognise that the Braunstone NDC faces problems, and we are very much alive to those problems.

“The Government wants regeneration to work, because we have a commitment to the residents of areas such as Braunstone. We want them to receive the services and enjoy the quality of life that people in other areas take for granted.

“That is why we are doing all that we can to find a satisfactory way forward for the regeneration of Braunstone, as a matter of great urgency.”

Editor Nick said the response from Mr Prescott acknowledged the role the Mercury played in driving major community programmes.

He said: “This is a hugely significant project for Braunstone and for the future of the city in general.

“We are pleased to have drawn such a response from Mr Prescott, but will continue to keep pressure on the Government to help secure the future of the Braunstone scheme.”

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