Neighbourhood Management is a national regeneration programme, funded by central government. It is designed to target resources into those neighbourhoods where residents are experiencing significant disadvantages, simply because of where they live, and to improve their quality of life.
To identify these priority areas, the government uses a series of measures across a number of themes. As well as evaluating levels of unemployment, crime and disorder, and the state of people's health, the government also looks at issues such as the condition of local housing, how well schools are performing, the level of cleanliness and residents' overall satisfaction with their environment.
So what does Neighbourhood Management actually do?
The purpose of Neighbourhood Management is to influence the way public services are designed, developed and implemented, so that they will be most effective in meeting residents' needs.
Influencing these services is achieved by identifying and harnessing the local knowledge, expertise and needs of residents and matching this with the specialist knowledge and expertise of service providers. This partnership approach helps ensure that:
- vital information can be widely shared between agencies
- there is a focus on those services that really matter to local people
- decisions based on this information will bring about more innovative and effective services
- duplication in service provision is minimised
- any gaps that exist in services can be identified and closed
In North Somerset, the Neighbourhood Management Team is working to bring this about in the Bournville, Oldmixon, Coronation and Potteries areas of Weston-super-Mare. This area is also known as South Ward.
What are we aiming to achieve in South Ward
Our ongoing commitment to supporting and contributing to these aspirations is demonstrated through our mission statement:
Our Mission Statement
South Ward will be a place where people are proud to live, where they feel safe, where the open spaces are of a high quality and where the community is welcoming. It will be a neighbourhood where individuals can expect and are encouraged to succeed and where there is access to good public services. We are going to achieve these aims by working together in partnership, and ensuring that the views and experiences of local residents are at the heart of decision-making processes.
Neighbourhood Management is all about residents working in partnership with mainstream service providers, the local authority, businesses and the voluntary and community sectors to make local services more responsive to the needs of their area.
The programme is overseen by a local management board made up of 8 local residents (2 from each of the four estates) and 8 local service providers, including Weston College, voluntary sector (2), police, local elected member, local school cluster, North Somerset Housing, North Somerset Council. The Board meets every 6 weeks.
The Board is supported by 4 action planning groups, drawn from local residents and key service providers. These focus on the design and implementation of the work programme; generating ideas and monitoring progress against key milestones. The groups focus on the following areas:
- creating a cleaner and greener environment
- tackling crime and community safety
- improving opportunities for children and young people
- increasing access to employment, training and skills
Within each of the theme areas we are developing work programmes to meet the outcomes of the programme and tackle problems and issues identified locally.
We have also developed a community engagement strategy to ensure that we build the capacity of local residents to participate in neighbourhood management and to help to sustain involvement beyond 2010.
What we have done so far
- Co-ordinated fortnightly joint tasking meetings between NS Housing, the Police and North Somerset Council to better tackle problems of rubbish, fly-tipping and Anti-social behaviour.
- Developed a Community Warden scheme employing 2 full time Wardens and 2 Street Cleansing Operatives in partnership with NS Housing and Veolia.
- Enhanced Parks and Open Spaces on South Ward including Jubilee Park on the Coronation, Byron Rec on the Bournville and Millennium Green on the Potteries as well as Pocket Park on the Oldmixon.
- Revamping the shopping parades at St Andrews Parade on the Bournville, Loxton Road on the Coronation and Aller Parade on the Oldmixon, in partnership with NS Housing. Art works have also been incorporated into the designs with a mosaic at Loxton Road, a sculpture at Aller Parade and a community notice board at St Andrews Parade.
- Organised successful Action Months with partner organisations across South Ward to highlight issues such as fly tipping and dog fouling.
- Purchased a Community Bus for South Ward to link the 4 estates and to make local services more accessible by providing a reduced rate of hire for organisations working in South Ward.
- Set up and attend monthly resident's meetings on Bournvill, Oldmixon and Coronation, with Police and local service providers.
- Developed a Youth Reparation Scheme for South Ward employing 1 full time reparation worker in partnership with the Youth Offending Team.
- Developed a Community Chest Fund which provides local voluntary and community organisations with grants of up to £3000. The process is managed by Quartet Community Foundation.
- Worked with the Youth Service and other youth organisations to increase opportunities for young people on the 4 estates by employing a full time Detached Youth Worker for South Ward.
- Employed a full time Independent Domestic Violence Advocate in response to high levels of Domestic Violence reported in South Ward.
- Joint funded a Smart Water pilot in the Super output area of the Bournville with the Police.
- Residents on the Oldmixon were keen to see more green areas in their neighbourhood which resulted in a tree lined avenue along Brompton Road. Further tree lined avenues are planned across the remaining estates.
- Planted many Tree Lined Avenues across the four estates.
- Replaced outdated yellow street lights with new, energy efficient white street lighting on major bus routes on the Bournville, Potteries and Coronation.
- Uphill Great Rhyne on Lonsdale Avenue, the Bournville was given a major clean up in partnership with the Environment Agency. A total of 25 tonnes of assorted rubbish from sofas to shopping trolleys was removed back in February. Fences were erected around the rhyne to prevent further fly tipping.
- An arts strategy has been developed for South Ward with a vision to provide integrated artworks into the environment.
- Supported residents to develop their neglected land into communal gardens through applications for funding from the Community Chest Fund.
- westonworks – One Stop Skills and Job Shop
- Joint funded a development to improve a very large disused garage and communal garden area on the Bournville. This project has been called Our Space
- Holiday Activities jointly funded holiday activities for young people in South Ward
- Play Rangers funded the provision of play rangers on South ward, working with 8 – 13 year olds in local parks.
- Portacabin – provided a dedicated space for a youth worker at Wyvern school to engage with young people in a less formal setting
- Social Enterprise provided support to Somerset Wood Recycling to employ a volunteer coordinator to work with local unemployed adults to build their skills and confidence