Report to Burngreave Area Panel re Neighbourhood Renewal Funding Proposals

BURNGREAVE LOCAL ACTION PLAN

FOR THE ALLOCATION OF NEIGHBOURHOOD RENEWAL FUNDING (NRF) APRIL 2006-MARCH 2008

Introduction

For the last five years, the government has recognised that some urban areas need extra assistance in improving the quality of some public services. This is partly a reflection of the previous period when public services were starved of funding, but also that the quality of public services can be poorer in the more deprived areas. Government funding to support “neighbourhood renewal” has been provided to Sheffield’s local partnership (Sheffield First) – about £10m a year for the next two years. The main expectation from government is that the extra money (known as NRF) will be used to help Sheffield meet a range of “floor targets”. Sheffield First has agreed that about one-half of the funding should be used for supporting education and housing/neighbourhoods services to make sure that every child, household and neighbourhood is provided with good public services. About one-fifth of the city’s NRF allocation (about £2m) is to be made available for the city’s Area Panels to recommend how extra money can meet local priorities (which also coincide with government priorities – the floor targets). This report outlines the preliminary proposals of the Burngreave Area Panel.

Timescale

The allocations for each Area Panel have only been decided in January 2006. The Sheffield First Partnership board Successful Neighbourhoods has to agree with each Area Panel’s recommendations for how NRF will be allocated locally – the Local Action Plan. The meeting on 23rd February has been set aside to approve these plans. Before this, the Area Panel has to confirm the recommendations at a public meeting - which has been set for Thursday 16th February in Pitsmoor Methodists Church from 6pm.

Context

This Local Action Plan is based on a number of elements.

Most importantly, it rests on the priorities of the Panel that have been agreed last year.
It also depends on the government’s own view of priority actions for neighbourhood renewal, the floor targets.
Local trends obtained from Sheffield Neighbourhood Information System
The ideas and proposals from a range of local voluntary and community organisations
It tries to bear in mind other challenges and opportunities for this area. This includes feedback and comment at Area Panel meetings where particular issues have been brought up, and the priorities that other organisations and funders have for the wider Burngreave area, including,

· Burngreave Regeneration Roundtable

· Burngreave New Deal for Communities

· Housing Market Renewal

· Excellence in Cities – Education Action Zones/Service Districts

And the experience of achievements of previous NRF allocations
The wide ranging consultations that have taken place over a number of years with the communities in Burngreave

The Area Panel has inevitably had to make a number of hard choices. Most importantly, in the education area there is a range of very pressing demands. But the Panel’s view is that the directorates responsible for educational improvements, student support and family support already have access to increasing budgets and other funds. The proposals below cover three main areas:

Supporting the organisation of the local communities
Improving environmental quality
Providing activities outside the school day for young people

Proposed allocations 2006-2008

Theme	Activity	Two year allocation for 2004-06 (£k)	Recipient	Allocation for 2006-08 (£k)	Floor target
Engagement with the people in and around the area	Community chest	9	Area Panel	10	Home Office PSA 6
	Roadshows			10	Home Office PSA 6
	Communications			10	Home Office PSA 7
	Festivals and events	60	Green City Action	60	Home Office PSA 7
The street scene	Streetscape improvements	65	Area Panel/ Streetforce	90	ODPM PSA 8
The street scene	Clean up – bring out your rubbish days	29	Area Panel/ Streetforce	90	ODPM PSA 8
Increasing activity, improving health	Active Burngreave	24	Activity Sheffield	100	DCMS PSA 1 DfES PSA 9
	Fir Vale & Firshill Youth Activities	55			DCMS PSA 1 DfES PSA 9
	Street sports				DCA PSA2
Parks, woods, gardens and open spaces	Development programmes		Parks & Countryside	70	ODPM PSA 8
	Parks – small spaces	20	Green City Action		ODPM PSA 8
	Community forestry	5	P&C		ODPM PSA 8
	Footpath improvements		Rangers		ODPM PSA 8 DoH PSA 1
	Burngreave in Bloom	15	Green City Action	20	ODPM PSA 8
Reducing traffic and road accidents	Safety to school		Schools or DEL	30	DfT PSA ?
				400

Engagement with the people in and around the area

The Burngreave area has a well-deserved reputation for having vigorous, knowledgeable and active local communities. The success in hosting the New Deal programme was a direct result of this. In the last couple of years, the discussions and meetings about the housing market renewal programme have also excited much public involvement (an Area Panel meeting in Fir Vale witnessed 330 people attending last April). The Abbeyfield Park Multicultural Festival regularly attracts over 7,000 people. One main function of area working is to engage with people in the democratic process and the Area Panel is aware that it needs to reach out to those people who at the moment are not getting involved.

This theme is to try to strengthen local communities’ engagement – especially from those people whose views are not getting heard. The Panel intends with others to host a series of roadshows – modelled on the HEAT Sheffield. An event takes place widely advertised locally that has stalls and displays from a variety of statutory and voluntary services (NHS, energy conservation, ambulance, police, fire safety, Age Concern, advice agencies, youth projects etc). Food and drink provided. Shortly afterwards, the Area Panel will have a public meeting in the same venue or close by – hence capitalising on the turnout at the roadshow event. The Panel also intend to conduct ‘information speed dating’ events between themselves, Town Hall staff with young people.

The Panel’s community chest for relatively small amounts of funding for new projects or one-off events is proposed to be continued.

An allocation has also been included to contribute to helping support or develop any infrastructure costs of local community-based initiatives for increasing communication and information in the area (through different media like print, radio etc).

Lastly, the Panel contribution towards the environmental, arts, education and public events programme – including the irresistible Abbeyfield Multicultural Festival – will be maintained in terms of a contribution towards the staffing costs and activity budget of the Green City Action based post

The street scene

Over the last four years, the Area Panel has paid for extra Bring Out Your Rubbish days covering the whole of Burngreave. The Panel also has a long-standing commitment to contribute to the colour and variety of the local streets with summer floral displays on lamp standards, large street planters and hanging baskets. This is proposed to be continued. Contributions can also be made for one-off allocations for improving particular small sites, particularly on the major arterial roads. The tradition of lighting up the area around Ellesmere Green will be continued. There is now an intention to enter Burngreave for the ‘In Bloom’ competition.

Environmental crime – like fly tipping and littering – is also showing some improvement. The allocation here will enable every household in the Panel area to have one ‘bring out your rubbish’ day a year until 2008. This universal service is extremely popular and the recorded tonnages removed are still growing rather than declining – suggesting there is still a need. Ways of trying to make the events suitable for re-cycling/re-use are being examined.

Increasing activity, improving health

The Panel wanted to make sure – especially for younger children - that there was an events and activities programme locally available, especially outside the New Deal boundary. Activity Sheffield was asked to run a youth entitlement programme for children from 8 – 19. This has been a big success – particularly helping to re-forge a neighbourhood spirit on Wensley estate. It is proposed that this work continues.

In the Burngreave area, a variety of initiatives for very young (toddlers) to the less young (like tea dances, Somali dance, walking and aerobics) have been held – some formal sports and others less formal. A contribution has been made for a budget to support the staffing costs.

In the south east of the city, there’s been a successful ‘street sports’ project. A contribution towards the core costs of this project will mean the area is able to host x number of street sports events in the next two years.

Parks, woods, gardens and open spaces

This city is often described as one of the greenest in the country. This refers both to the size and number of parks, woods and moorland within the city boundary. The heather moorland on Wincobank or on Parkwood, the formality of Abbeyfield Park or the open spaces that dot Burngreave will be treasured.

New Deal funding is being funnelled into local parks like Abbeyfield and Osgathorpe. The NRF allocation will help to improve the quality of some of smaller, local open spaces (like Catherine Road Recreation Ground and Parkwood Springs) alongside the ideas and enthusiasm of the immediate local residents.

A community forestry project began last year. In schools, parks, open spaces, on streets and roads and throughout people’s gardens, it is hoped to encourage more tree planting and tree maintenance.

But as well as planting fruit trees in gardens, maintained and vivid front gardens and balconies can also improve the look and feel of a community. We will be supporting a range of initiatives designed to turn gardens and balconies from flagged or tarmaced deserts to places of floral display.

We want to be able to provide small amounts of funding for workers, local residents and park users to be able to draw up and start to implement realistic and achievable plans of how some of the smaller parks and spaces could look in the future. Devon Gardens and Burngreave Rec are already going through this process; a small allocation will help kick start the process elsewhere.

Lastly, we want to be able to allow people to use the local footpaths more. It helps improve the environment, it encourages walking and provides more informal surveillance. Cutting back the shrubs and improving the surfaces could turn overgrown tracks into local thoroughfares.

Reducing traffic and road accidents

The measurements of air quality in Pitsmoor and Fir Vale are very poor due to the high number of vehicles on our roads. We want to see how more children and parents can be encouraged to walk instead of being driven to and from school. Trained helpers and wardens; waterproof gear; prizes; whatever. We want to establish a fund that schools and voluntary groups can use to decrease car travel, increase walking and so improve the air quality.

What now?

These proposals are being circulated for comment to:

Local community organisations
Voluntary organisations
City Council directorates and services; and other local service providers
Local schools

If you want to make any comments, you can either:

1. Attend the public Area Panel meeting on Thursday 16th February (Pitsmoor Methodists Church) at 6pm;

2. Ring the area co-ordinator (Andy Shallice) on 276 9134

3. Email him on andy.shallice@sheffield.gov.uk

4. Or write to him and the Area Panel at 12/14 Burngreave Rd, S3 9DD

We look forward to hearing your views and comments on Thursday 16th February.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. All comments will be reported to the Area Panel.

30th January 2006

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