Neighbourhood Renewal Funding - Progress Report
NEIGHBOURHOOD RENEWAL FUNDING (NRF): A PROGRESS REPORT
Background
Since 2002, all the Area Panels in the city have been able to commission additional services to support local needs via a Local Action Plan which is used to allocate central government Neighbourhood Renewal Funding (NRF). The city receives about £10,000,000 annually of NRF from the government, and Sheffield First Partnership decides how this money is used. Approximately, £2,000,000 is passed to the 12 Area Panels to (help to) meet local needs. In Burngreave, the Area Panel receives approx £205,000 each year. This report reviews the progress made on the NRF spend for this year, 2006-07.
Local Action Plan NRF 2006-07
At the Panel meeting in February 2006, the following programme was agreed:
Theme | Activity | Recipient | Amount (£000) | |
2006-07 2007-08 | ||||
Local engagement | Community chest | Area Panel | 4.5 | 4.5 |
Roadshows | 3.5 | 3 | ||
Communications | 3.5 | 3 | ||
Festivals and events | Green City Action | 30 | 30 | |
The street scene | Streetscape improvements | Area Panel & Street Force | 20 | 18 |
Clean up – bring out your rubbish | 22.4 | 23 | ||
Increasing activity, improving health | Active Burngreave | Activity Sheffield | 6.5 | 3.5 |
Fir Vale youth activities programme | 38 | 38 | ||
Street sports | 6 | 8 | ||
Parks, Woodland and open spaces | Development programme | Parks & Countryside | 2 | 18 |
Small spaces | Green City Action | 10 | 10 | |
Community forestry | Parks & Countryside | 10 | 20 | |
Footpath improvements | 1 | 1 | ||
Burngreave in Bloom | Green City Action | 10 | 10 | |
Area action support | Additional support to the Area Panel | Area Panel | 9.7 | 14 |
Family support | Family support | CYPD | 11 | |
TOTAL SPEND | 188.1 | 204 | ||
ALLOCATION | 205.4 | 205.4 | ||
Underspend | (17.3) | (1.4) | ||
(The NRF allocation is for the two years 2006-2008. Monies under spent in this year can be carried forward to next year)
The allocation of NRF from the Area Panel since April 2006 has helped directly to:
· Stage another Abbeyfield Park Multicultural Festival; Fir Vale Festival and the December Festival of Lights on Ellesmere Green
· Employ a sports/recreation activity worker in Fir Vale, Firshill and Wensley to run a programme of activities for 8 – 19 year olds
· Removed 168.8 tons of unwanted rubbish from homes throughout the area via the Bring Out Your Rubbish days
· Put up and water the floral displays around Ellesmere Green, Barnsley Road and Page Hall with planters, hanging baskets and flower towers
· Support thirty voluntary groups via the Community chest grants
· Organise one roadshow event
The allocation of NRF has also helped to:
· Support the work of the Community Forester in Burngreave
· Support the Burngreave in Bloom work, that also helped to win Page Hall Community association a ‘Yorkshire in Bloom’ prize for their floral display
· Support a number o community groups participate in one-off sports events
· Clear up a number of local open spaces – including Denholme Close; Ella Road; Firshill Rise playground, Upwell Street sites, Wincobank Lane, Popple Street, Burngreave Bank, Nottingham Cliffe and Ellesmere Park
Proposed additional projects
Three additional projects have been proposed for inclusion under the Local Action Plan. Each project is a priority both for local children and young people’s provision, and for environmental improvements. They are:
· (2006-07) priority work on the infrastructure of the Pitsmoor Adventure Playground, including detailed health and safety inspection, and rectification work (£5,000)
· (2007-08) Contribution towards core running costs for Verdon Street Recreation Centre (£10,000-£15,000)
Abbeyfield Park House
The House is maintained by Parks & Countryside, DEL. They are unable to maintain the roof which has been subject to numerous patching jobs, of varying qualities and with mixed success. There are numerous leaks from the roof which make certain rooms on the upper floor unusable, thereby foregoing income. More significantly, the House and Park are proposed to be the subject of a major bid by the City Council for Heritage Lottery Funding (if successful, funding available in 2010). Rather than see the roof and House deteriorate further in the intervening three years (and therefore cost a proportionately greater amount from HLF), the Panel are being asked to contribute to an emergency roof repair this winter/spring 2007.
Pitsmoor Adventure Playground
The Adventure Playground is in need of major refurbishment, to meet both childrens’ enjoyment, comfort and security, and staffs’ safety and comfort. Discussions have been taking place for a considerable time with New Deal for Communities for assistance with a major refurbishment. In the event that either this is not successful, or that it will take some time to secure the funding etc, there is a pressing need to make sure that the Playground meets expected standards e.g. re. health and safety. It is proposed that £5,000 allocation would allow for urgent works to the Playground and site to meet these requirements in the short term.
Verdon Street Recreation Centre
Again, Verdon Street centre has enjoyed considerable assistance from NDC for the last three years. This has resulted in a major, internal refurbishment of the centre, increased usage (now about two-thirds capacity) which has also led to an increase in income. The Area Panel would not want this improvement of a local, cherished facility to be reversed and is proposing that next year, at least £10,000 of the NRF be allocated for the core costs of Verdon Street. The Panel might want to consider raising this contribution to £15,000 depending upon the progress of other projects in 2007-08 contracted to the Area Panel to deliver. This would also require Activity Sheffield to provide guarantees for the future provision at Verdon Street centre.
Recommendation
That this Area Panel agrees the allocation of further Neighbourhood Renewal Funding as part of the Burngreave Local Action Plan to the following agencies, with agreements and outputs to be negotiated by the Area Co-ordinator and relevant staff within Parks & Countryside and Activity Sheffield:
· for Abbeyfield Park House repairs, £5,000 (Parks & Countryside)
· for Pitsmoor Adventure Playground inspection and remedial measures, £5,000 (Activity Sheffield)
· for Verdon Street Recreation centre core running costs, a minimum of £10,000 (Activity Sheffield)
Andy Shallice
Area Co-ordinator
14th February 2007