The former coalfields of Britain are among the poorest places in Europe and are beset with problems of high unemployment, poverty, social exclusion, disaffection and petty crime. The problems of these places are exacerbated by their former reliance on one industry which has all but disappeared, and by the absence of small- and medium-sized enterprises and long-term foreign investment to provide replacement employment and a social focus for the communities that live there. Based on in-depth and personal studies of communities in two coalfields, the report: situates the socioeconomic changes in these places within a context of general coalfield decline in Britain; assesses regeneration strategies and organizations; looks at best practice for community development; and discusses policy implications. The authors argue that the extent to which local initiatives can begin to regenerate positive change will ultimately depend on policies made elsewhere and that existing top-down approaches have not led to successful regeneration of the coalfields. It concludes that the persistent problems characteristic of former coalfield areas would be better tackled be regeneration initiatives that focus on the needs of communities rather than on national policy directives.