A GOVERNMENT scheme to breathe new life into part of Sunderland has failed to improve people's lives so far, according to a report.

The study found that the New Deal for Communities had not yet made significant progress in cutting crime, creating jobs and boosting educational standards.

Government ministers announced that £53.8m would be invested in Hendon, in Sunderland, as part of a national scheme, in 1999.

Ministers said the cash would bridge the gap between deprived neighbourhoods and the rest of England, by tackling job prospects, high levels of crime, educational under-achievement, poor health and problems with housing and the physical environment.

Now, the study, by academics at Sheffield Hallam University, has concluded: "Most partnerships have not yet made significant progress in achieving many of these outcomes. Some claim success but these should be treated with considerable caution at this early stage.

"Closing gaps between these deprived neighbourhoods and the districts and regions within which they are located will simply take a long time. Ten years appears a realistic time horizon."

The study revealed that, in Sunderland, 41 per cent of adults of working age had no qualifications, compared with 34 per cent in Middlesborough and 31 per cent in Hartlepool.

However, Yvette Cooper, the Minister for Neighbourhood Renewal, said the New Deal for Communities was turning the corner in the fight against poverty.