by James Kilner and David Wiles

A REPORT claiming Britain's most unpopular estates need to appoint "image managers" if discrimination against their residents is to end was slammed in York today.

York-based independent social research charity the Joseph Rowntree Foundation said image managers would change the perception of regenerated estates, which were still stigmatised by an inauspicious past.

But the idea was dismissed as "codswallop" by one prominent resident of York's Bell Farm housing estate, which had a bad reputation until it was regenerated through a partnership between residents and the city council.

Dennis Leeming, a former chairman of the Bell Farm Residents' Association, said: "I think it's a lot of codswallop. It would be like having a public relations officer."

He added that the only way the estate could be helped was through the hard work of residents themselves.

"It's up to the people here to promote themselves in a good, orderly fashion. It's up to ourselves to keep at it."

An image manager, said the foundation, would be responsible for reporting to the local media on how much things have improved.

Jo Dean, co-author of the study, said: "It has been assumed for too long the problem reputation of neighbourhoods will simply disappear in the wake of regeneration.

"But our research shows that continuing stigma undermines the positive results of regeneration and blights the lives of local residents."

Tom Brittain, City of York Council housing manager, said he did not think any part of York suffered badly from the problems discussed in the report.

But he said: "We work with the local residents and residents' associations, where areas get bad reputations, and I don't feel it's necessary to look to create a specific image manager."

The study said residents from estates that were once the nation's worst are still refused credit by banks and loan companies.

And it claimed job-seekers from formerly run-down urban developments are more likely to be turned down for a job because of where they live.