Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott today unveiled his new five-year plan for regional regeneration, pledging to get people ''more involved in the democratic life of their community''.

Mr Prescott outlined a comprehensive strategy for empowering local people and helping deprived communities overcome poverty.

He was speaking at the start of a three-day conference in Manchester entitled Sustainable Communities: People, Places And Prosperity.

Key principles of the initiative include launching a Neighbourhoods Charter setting out what powers people will have over the running of their community and what results they can expect.

A new £5 million programme of ''how to'' guides will be produced to help local people and authorities spend resources more effectively.

Mr Prescott said: ''We want to offer new opportunities to neighbourhoods everywhere.

''We want people to help share the local public services they receive and we want them to become more involved in the democratic life of their community.

''By action at a neighbourhood level, people everywhere can make a significant different to the quality of our country's public services.

''In this way, local people, working with local councillors, can play their part in creating sustainable communities.''

He emphasised the strategy would not be a ''one-size-fits-all'' policy but would allow people to customise services to the community's needs. Mr Prescott said 40 additional local authorities would be invited to take part in the local area agreement pilot scheme.

He also announced proposals to strengthen the role of councils in leading their areas and said consultations would begin on ideas to create extra mayors with additional powers to transform major cities.