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 monthly.
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 are already doing
- setting up a youth forum so that young people have the opportunity to influence changes in their community
- Coordinating meetings between North Somerset Housing, the Police and North Somerset Council to better tackle problems of rubbish, fly tipping and anti social behaviour
- Developing a community warden / caretaker scheme
- Working to enhance parks and open spaces, beginning with Jubilee Park
- Revamping the shopping areas St Andrews Parade, Loxton Road and Aller Parade
- Organising cleaner, greener, safer action days on the four estates
- Purchasing a community bus for South Ward to link the four estates and make local services more accessible
- Developing monthly community meetings on each of the four estates
- Working with the youth offending team to develop a reparation scheme in South Ward
- Developed a community chest fund – grants of up to £3000 for small local voluntary and community groups and organisations
- Working closely with the youth service and other youth organisations to increase opportunities for young people on the four estates