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Local Action Plan

Local Action Plan for South East Area Panel

Year 2006-07 and 2007-08

Vision and Mission Statement

The South East Area Panel has worked consistently with stakeholders and partners to develop and implement strategies that will improve the quality of life for those living in the area. During the last two years, it has taken the opportunities offered by Neighbourhood Renewal Funding (NRF) to continue its progress and to bring added value to work already being undertaken in our communities. During the next two years, the South East Area Panel will continue this approach, with emphasis on the Closing The Gap target communities and neighbourhoods most in need.

Closing The Gap, Sheffield’s framework for neighbourhood renewal has identified communities within the South East that are poor and in consequence more likely to face a wider range of problems including poorer housing, health, lower educational attainment and higher unemployment that adds up to a lower quality of life.

This Local Action Plan sets out to describe the activity that will be commissioned by the Area Panel and undertaken in the South East over the next two years. It seeks to enable those communities to begin to develop and close the gap between themselves and the more prosperous parts of the city.

The South East Area Panel will work across boundaries to

· Support the development of community fora and the growth of capacity within communities.

· Look to the floor targets of the NRF and the City Cleaner, Greener, Safer strategy to enable activity that will contribute to their achievement.

· Seek to work with young people, giving them a voice and involving them in the wider planning processes of the area.

· Look for effective links between the South East Area Panel Local Action Plan and the delivery of services and activity elsewhere (especially NRF themed activity and mainstream).

· Attract additional funding or match in order to maximise activity and impact and get best value.

· Allow approaches from communities in need, especially to continue community activity and development where that is appropriate to the wider NRF and Area Panel strategy.

· Effect service improvements and put in place activity to raise performance against floor targets and support the principles of NRF.

· Support the aims of the Area Plan and strategies of our partners within the Council, from other agencies or from the community, voluntary and faith sectors.

Background

The South East Area Panel area covers the third largest geographical area in the city and with over 66,000 residents; the South East is by far the most populous of Sheffield’s Area Action areas. From a point around 3 miles south east of the city centre, the area spreads and extends southwards and eastwards to the city boundary and includes all of Beighton and Mosborough wards, two thirds of Birley and Woodhouse wards and one third of Richmond ward. Eleven local Councillors sit on the Panel and Sheffield City Council (SCC) neighbourhoods such as Birley, Hackenthorpe, Beighton, Sothall, Mosborough, Owlthorpe, Woodhouse, Halfway, Westfield, Waterthorpe and parts of Handsworth and Richmond are included.

Much of the area lies within the green belt with the Rother valley to the north and east, the Moss valley to the south and a large central green space at Owlthorpe. The area also has the Shirtcliffe and Shire Brook Valley running through. There are excellent road transport links, into Sheffield and further afield via the M1 and the motorway network. Although public transport provision around the area can be difficult with the exception of the communities served by Super Tram.

Many people live in relatively new developments that have grown up around older mining and village communities. The impact of the Mosborough plan has seen high levels of house building over the last 30 years, now resulting in private estates but with little surrounding community infrastructure. Figures comparing access to services such as GP surgeries and Post Offices in the area compared to the city show significantly poorer access for the area.

There is a high proportion of home ownership in this popular, largely prosperous area, with higher house price increases than the city average and lower rates for vacant domestic properties and there is ongoing investment in public sector housing stock. The generally above average standard of living masks pockets of poverty now recognised as needy within the “Closing the Gap” and Objective 1 strategies. Woodhouse, parts of Hackenthorpe and Birley, such as Scowerdons, Newstead and Weakland have high proportions of benefit claimants, as do smaller areas in Westfield, Waterthorpe and Halfway. Surrounded by new developments the exclusion suffered by people living in the estates is exacerbated by relative isolation and difficulty in accessing appropriate services.

There are many popular schools within the area. Attainment averaged out across the area at Key Stage 2 for Maths and English is above the city average, but falls to below the city average for attainment at GCSE level at an area level. Below this, looking at neighbourhoods level, there are some significant variations showing links between higher than average poverty levels, lower than average attainment coupled with lower attendance rates at secondary school with lower take up of post 16 full time education and training. This also appears to be linked to vulnerably employed or lower skilled adults.

During the last two years, programmed activity concentrated on investment within those communities recognised as needy. Activity included community development, health and environmental projects. A number of these will continue during the life of this plan and outputs from the previous LAP will influence the development of this strategy, including the phase 1 Community Development Project for Woodhouse.

Apart from an amount under area wide allocations, the bulk of the activity will be concentrated within the neighbourhoods of Woodhouse and Westfield as qualifying neighbourhoods.

Aims and Objectives

The South East Area Panel aims to work in partnership with statutory bodies and the voluntary and community sector to attract funding and resources to address need throughout the area. In developing objectives for the S/E LAP, Members would want to make good use of opportunities that already exist and thus add value to the work we intend to do. This would include prevailing upon mainstream service providers to undertake activity that supports development within the target areas.

The South East Area Panel aims to create successful neighbourhoods and will support activity that works towards this achievement. In Closing the Gap a successful neighbourhood is defined as being:

· A place where people chose to live.

· Low crime

· Where children and young people are supported.

· Good access to school.

· Streets are clean and well maintained.

· Green spaces and the natural environment are well maintained and well used.

· Housing is of a good standard with accessible services and affordable / modern homes which people choose.

· Communities are cohesive with active citizens and displaying community pride.

· There are lifelong learning and training opportunities which those who would benefit most would take advantage of.

· Where employment prospects and employability are good.

· Health and well-being is good.

· Public services provided to a good standard, including educational achievement, the proportion of looked after children, and health services all above floor targets.

Partnership Structure and Management

Partners
Key partners in the delivery of any action plan in the S/E Area include the Beighton Villages Development Trust, currently in the delivery phase of an Objective 1 programme. The Woodhouse & District Community Forum and the S/E Sheffield Forum have formed companies limited by guarantee and achieved charitable status. These organisations and the Westfield Pioneer Area are designated Objective 1 beneficiary areas. Woodhouse and Birley have developed Community Action Plans to promote regeneration activity within those areas, the Area Panel will support these aims as far as possible. The S/E Sheffield Eco & Countryside Management Advisory Group, The S/E Sheffield Adult Learners Forum and the S/E Sheffield Sport & Health Strategy Group are also partners of the S/E Panel. All of the above have been involved in the identification of issues included in this plan and all include key partners and stakeholders from within their respective communities and interest groups within their framework. The S Yorks Police, PCT, Fire Service, Connexions, Sport England, faith organisations, S/E Sheffield CAB, LEA and officers of the Sheffield City Council (SCC) are all involved in the work of the Panel and strategy groups and will continue to be so.

Accountability
The Area Panel itself is viewed within the community as a central body that attracts representation from all community groups. It is respected as a body for debate and for the support it provides to community groups and Fora. The Panel acknowledges the contribution of the community to it’s work and seeks to break down the barriers that may exist to participation. Elected Members by virtue of their position in the Council and Panel are accountable to the electorate in the S/E Area.

Consultation
The priorities and proposals contained within this document and spending plan are all those adopted by The S/E Area Panel for inclusion in the 2005 - 2008 Area Plan and which have been identified as developing issues in the community since the adoption of that Plan.

Consultation around the development of this LAP has been undertaken in a variety of ways.

· Agenda items on the Public and Briefing agenda for the South East Area Panel, leading to the identification of priorities by Members and allowing for wide community engagement.

· Reports placed for discussion on the agenda of key community partners, including those operating within the Closing the Gap communities. These include the Woodhouse and District Community Forum, The Scowerdons Interagency Group and the S/E Sheffield Forum, amongst others.

· Discussion of key issues with community sector organisations, including but not limited to the Birley Moor Triangle Forum, the Woodhouse Community Facilities Project Steering Group, the Beighton Environment Group, the Shire Brook Valley Conservation Group and the Open Door Adult Education Centre.

· The identification of need or gaps during project work commissioned by this Panel, including the Birley & Woodhouse Community Development project, Beighton in Bloom, City CAN and the Active Communities Project.

· Petitioning by community fora.

Delivery
The projects highlighted so far within this spending plan have been commissioned from properly constituted and recognised organisations.

Connexions formed in April 2002 and the former SCC Youth Service is a founder member. The Youth Service has a track record of delivery of outreach youth work in our communities, established management and monitoring arrangements for discrete pieces of work. The financial arrangements for the new company have been agreed with due rigor. A ringfenced account has been set up to make financial tracking easy, and arrangements have been put into place for monitoring reports to be received by the South East Area Panel.

Other projects commissioned under this LAP including the Mosborough and Woodhouse environmental projects and the Active Communities project are being delivered by service areas of the SCC and are subject to established financial management arrangements. The Active Communities project has an established steering group involving stakeholders and Members, The environmental project will report back via the S/E Sheffield Eco & Countryside Management Advisory Group, with an established membership involving stakeholders and Members from the south east and reporting back to the Area Panel within the framework set out.

The remaining project to employ a community development worker and implement community action plans for the Woodhouse neighbourhood has the Open Door Adult Education Centre as the accountable body. The local community fora will be involved in the monitoring and supervision of the project and arrangements will be put into place for financial tracking and monitoring and for the Area Panel to receive regular monitoring reports in line with the requirements of NRF.

Strategic Fit
The priorities as set out in this document displays linkages to a wide range of strategies and opportunities at local level. The key linkages would be:

· Closing The Gap, a Sheffield Framework For Neighbourhood Renewal.

· The South East Area Plan 2005 - 08.

· The Beighton Integrated Development Plan for Objective 1 Priority 4 M23.

· The Woodhouse & Birley Community Action Plan for Objective 1 Priority 4a.

· Westfield, Waterthorpe and Halfway Objective 1 Pioneer Project.

· Sport and Healthy Activity Strategy for South East.

· Woodhouse Extra Care Retirement Village offers independent living for older people and regeneration for the neighbourhood. It will transform the way in which services are delivered for older people in the area.

· Westfield PFI. Westfield School is being redeveloped as part of the PFI programme. Additional funding attracted to Westfield will also improve sporting facility provision in the area.

· The S/E Sheffield Eco & Countryside Management Advisory Group. This group, the only one currently in operation in the city, meets on three occasions a year to share good practice, support and disseminate information amongst countryside management groups working in the south east. It advises the Area Panel on matters environmental and ecological.

· The pilot Full Service District proposals currently being developed in the Handsworth/Mosborough area will transform the way in which services are delivered for children and young people.

· The Handsworth/Mosborough Safer Neighbourhood Policing area will enable improved quality of life in key areas.

· The Scowerdons, Newstead and Weakland regeneration project will improve the quality of housing for residents in these needy areas.

The priorities as defined for NRF and the development of local action planning in the south east are designed to achieve added value and take advantage of other regeneration activity currently taking place. The details of match attracted are given in the individual priority action lists. The Members of the South East Area Panel have taken due regard to the linkages with the NRF Themes. A special briefing meeting of the South East Area Panel was held on 10th February to receive reports as to the aims of the programmes for 2006 to 2008 and the shape of the possible activity and projects within the area.

Sustainability
The projects outlined in the programme for NRF activity in the south east are discrete pieces of work with defined outcomes. The capacity to apply for continuation funding from other sources is built into the projects should monitoring and review arrangements indicate that this is desirable.

The Voice & Influence of Young People Project uses youth outreach work and a discrete piece of project work to engage with young people.

Active Communities seeks to audit community capacity and develop the existing capacity, linkages and deliver opportunities to take part in healthy activity and training.

Environmental work in Woodhouse and Mosborough seeks to develop community capacity, working with organisations and local individuals, groups and schools to enhance and improve the environment.

Community development workers will be employed in Woodhouse to work with local organisations to deliver community action plans. Objective 1 also funded this work in Woodhouse and Birley and has been approached do so again.
Monitoring, Review and Evaluation
Formal monitoring arrangements for NRF projects are agreed at the outset and undertaken by the SCC Community Regeneration Unit service area. Locally, the S/E Area Panel will receive reports on commissioned NRF projects every two months. In addition to this, the Panel will require three monthly monitoring reports in line with the requirements of NRF. These reports will be expected to cover project outputs, finance and progress. In addition, Members will work with key stakeholders and partners within the planning framework to identify any new issues or developments that require a re-evaluation.

The Area Panel has a presence on project monitoring and regeneration bodies, alongside other partners and stakeholders. This will allow Members to be proactive in the project management process for NRF. In addition to this, annually, the S/E Area Panel sets out its own programme of consultation, monitoring and review activity linked to the development and delivery of the Area Plan. The community, partners and stakeholders have a recognised role in this activity, which allows for the wider community to feed into the monitoring process and make their voices heard.

Priority Action List
The following pages contain the priority actions for NRF S/E Local Action Plan 2006 – 08. In commissioning activity the Area Panel would wish to take into account

· Community priorities defined within the Objective 1 Pioneer Area.

· Compliance and fit with the aims and objectives for the overall LAP.

Proposed Spending Profile

The proposed spending profile for the financial years 2006-07 and 2007-08 are given at appendix A.

Ref	Activity	Start Date	Finish	£ Cost	Outputs	Floor Target linkage	Comments
	Voice & Influence of Young People	April 2006	March 2008	10,000 Y1 13,500 Y2	Young people engaged. Crime & disorder reduced. Consumer advice project.	Crime	Leading to reduced fear of crime & less antisocial behaviour. Providing a voice for young people & opportunities to work together to improve facilities, resources & quality of life. Commissioned from Connexions. Links to the Active Communities project, priorities contained within Area Plan 2005 - 08 and priorities of local fora.

Ref	Activity	Start Date	Finish	£ Cost	Outputs	Floor Target Linkage	Comments
	Active Communities Project	April 2006	March 2008	15,000.00 p/a	Development of linkages and networks between groups. Development of community capacity. Provision and development of opportunities for taking part in healthy activity. Provision of opportunities to take part in training and development of coaching capability within community organisations. Support for community groups and organisations to plan, train and access funding to meet need.	Health Crime	This project would also host other discreet projects that aimed to engage with hard to reach target groups and provide opportunities for healthy activity, for example portable BMX and skateboarding projects for young people. Links to Voice and Influence of Young People project, Street Sports project, Sport and Healthy Activity Strategy for South East. Links to priorities for community fora, schools (especially Handsworth Grange Sports college), and Objective 1 programmes in Priority 4a and b areas. Matched by Sport England and mainstream monies.

Ref	Activity	Start Date	Finish	£ Cost	Outputs	Floor Target linkage	Comments
	To provide support within the area panel framework for those communities given priority under Objective 1, Priority 4a and NRF for the development of community activity.	April 2006	March 2008	11,500 Y1 12,000 Y2	Conditions that support the development of sustainable community Fora begin to develop in areas of need. This would happen alongside other community development activity and in partnership with other agencies. Activity may include the provision of information about access to training, development and education and the production of community plans. Developing linkages to the S/E area panel and its work within the community will also be an integral part of this project.	All	This will provide the opportunity for further development work in communities at a low level of capacity. There are linkages to other proposals under the NRF/ Objective 1 funding streams for the establishment of community development workers and capacity building activity. Links to the S/E Area Panel Plan 2003 Priorities.

Ref	Activity	Start Date	Finish	£ Cost	Outputs	Floor Target linkage	Comments
	To employ community development workers to work in the target area of Woodhouse	April 2006	March 2008	32,000 p/a	Community development workers employed. Community capacity developed. Community plans implemented.	All	To enable community members, groups and organisations in the southeast to develop capacity and begin to develop community plans and regeneration activity. Will allow development activity and planning to access funding and training activity. Links to South East Area Plan 2003, Objective 1 Pioneer area programme in Mosborough ward and Objective 1 Priority 4b programme in Beighton. Supported by OFFER and managed by Open Door, this project will draw down Objective 1 match funding.

Ref	Activity	Start Date	Finish	£ Cost	Outputs	Floor Target linkage	Comments
	Environmental project Mosborough and Woodhouse	April 2006	March 2008	4,000 p/a	Community engaged. Environment improved and enhanced. Environmental audit carried out to assist future planning and development. Training programme delivered.	Environment Crime Health Employment	Leading to enhanced and improved environment, engaged community with new skills and access to healthy activity in green environment. Links to priorities of Area Plan 2005-08, Objective 1 Priority 4b programme in Beighton. Matched by Planning Obligation monies and Objective 1 monies in Beighton.
Ref	Activity	Start Date	Finish	£ Cost	Outputs	Floor Target linkage	Comments
	Eco Schools Project	April 2006	March 2008	5,000 p/a	Community engaged. Environment improved and enhanced. Young People engage in environmental education and activity.	Environment	Leading to enhanced and improved environment, engaged community with new skills and access to healthy activity in green environment. Links to priorities of Area Plan 2005 -08, Objective 1 Priority 4b programme in Beighton. Matched by Objective 1 monies in Beighton.
Ref	Activity	Start Date	Finish	£ Cost	Outputs	Floor Target linkage	Comments
	Shire Brook Valley Improvements	April 2006	March 2008	6,500 Y1 5,000 Y2	Community engaged. Environment improved and enhanced. Environmental education and interpretation. Management Plan developed.	Environment Crime Employment	Leading to enhanced and improved environment, engaged community with new skills and access to healthy activity in green environment. Links to priorities of Area Plan 2005-08. Matched Objective 1 monies.
Ref	Activity	Start Date	Finish	£ Cost	Outputs	Floor Target linkage	Comments
	S/E Adult Learning	April 2006	March 2008	15,000 p/a	Programme of coordinated education delivered to target groups. Progression routes planned.	Education Health	Leading to upskilled and engaged community. Links to priorities of Area Plan 2005-08. Matched by NRF and LSC monies.
Ref	Activity	Start Date	Finish	£ Cost	Outputs	Floor Target linkage	Comments
	Street Sports	April 2006	March 2008	7,500 Y1 5,000 Y2	Community engaged. Crime and Youth Nuisance reduced. Programme of Street Sport activity delivered for Active Communities project.	Crime Health	Reduced youth nuisance and increased level of engagement in healthy activity. Links to priorities of Area Plan 2005-08, Voice & Influence of Young People, S/E Sheffield Active Communities. Matched by mainstream and other NRF monies.

A a

South East Area Panel
Recommended Spend 2006 -07
Project	Lead Officer	Cost	Cumulative Spend	Neighbourhood
Priority Support	Dianne Hurst	£11,500.00	£11,500.00	AreaWide
Active Communities	Paul Steel	£15,000.00	£26,500.00	AreaWide
Adult & Community Learning	Jayne Hawley	£15,000.00	£41,500.00	AreaWide
Eco Schools	Steve Byers	£5,000.00	£46,500.00	AreaWide
Voice & Influence of Young People	Sue Procter	£10,000.00	£56,500.00	AreaWide
Community Development Woodhouse	Terry McHale	£31,000.00	£87,500.00	Woodhouse
Environmental Project Mosborough	Sally Pereira	£4,000.00	£91,500.00	Westfield
Environmental Project Woodhouse	Sally Pereira	£10,000.00	£101,500.00	Woodhouse
Shirebrook Valley	Nick Sellwood	£6,500.00	£108,000.00	Woodhouse
Contribution to Street Sports	Stuart Rogers	£7,500.00	£115,500.00	AreaWide
Allocation from 2006 - 07 NRF			£115,316.00