A FLAGSHIP Government scheme to breathe new life into struggling areas of Teesside has so far failed to improve people's lives, according to a new report.

The study found that the New Deal for Communities (NDC) had made no significant progress in cutting crime, creating jobs or boosting educational standards.

It said people in Britain's most deprived neighbourhoods may face a ten-year wait before noticing any genuine signs of success.

In 1998, the Government announced that £52.1m would be spent in west Middlesbrough, one of the first 17 NDC project.

A further 22 schemes included a £53.8m grant to west central Hartlepool, taking the total spend to £2bn.

The Government pledged to tackle five key indicators of deprivation: job prospects, high levels of crime, educational under-achievement, poor health and problems with housing and the physical environment.

But the study, by academics at Sheffield Hallam University, has concluded: "Most partnerships have not yet made significant progress in achieving many of these outcomes.

In Hartlepool, only 24 per cent of people who had heard of the initiative believed it had improved their area. The figure was only 28 per cent in Middlesbrough.

The study also revealed that in Middlesbrough 34 per cent of adults of working age have no qualifications. The figure is 31 per cent in Hartlepool.

It said teething problems affecting the schemes included tensions between agencies and communities and shortages of skilled staff, with investment actually falling in some NDC areas.

Yet Yvette Cooper, Minister for Neighbourhood Renewal, said the New Deal for Communities was "turning the corner in the fight against postcode poverty". She said a successful project to put an employment agency in the heart of Middlesbrough had helped 46 people find jobs in the first two months.

* People in Hartlepool's NDC area can catch up on the latest developments tonight.

A community forum takes place at Grange Road Meth-odist Resource Centre, Hartlepool, at 6pm.

Anyone who would like to attend, but who has difficulty with transport, is asked to contact (01429) 262641.