AS the £62m scheme to revitalise Kensington enters its third year regeneration chiefs face criticism from locals who say little is happening. Tony Barrett investigates
 STREETS lined with Victorian-style lampposts were intended to be an illuminating sign of improvement. But in Kensington the locals joke that the new lights just allow them to see the poverty better. A 10-year £62m regeneration scheme to restore the run-down area to its former glory is now in its third year. The government, which provides the cash to rebuild the area from its New Deal programme, and regeneration chiefs say the ambitious project is succeeding. They point to a series of initiatives which will improve the quality of life for those who live and work in Kensington for years to come. But those at the sharp end - residents who have endured decades of poverty, poor housing and high unemployment - are yet to be convinced. Kensington Regeneration bosses admit things got off to a slow start but stress large scale projects take time. They insist local people will see progress in the coming 12 months. But today, one former member of the area's Regeneration Board casts doubt on that prediction. Speaking for the first time since resigning from the board, Karen Flynn claims residents' wishes are being ignored and projects are held up by bureaucracy. She was elected to serve as a community representative on the regeneration board in 2002. But last year Ms Flynn resigned, accusing the board of being undemocratic and failing to act in the best interests of the people it serves. She said: "This whole initiative was supposed to be community-led but the community is being sold out. "Not one sustainable job has been created. Every single new job is based on short-termcontracts. "The board is not listening to people, they are not letting them in. At one stage there was only one resident on the supposedly community-led board." And she f ear s the regeneration board have now missed the boat as Liverpool's property prices continue to surge. She added: "A demolition project was one of the first things looked at. "Hundreds of houses were going to be bought, redeveloped and then re-sold. "But it has taken so long for them to dot the i's and cross the t's that the housing market has exploded and the price of each property has gone up from around £25,000 to closer to £75,000. "Because of this the redevelopment programme has had to be scaled down and the only people buying property in Kensington are property speculators." | 
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