Committee Report: Neighbourhood Renewal Programme 2006- 2008
Report to: |
Regeneration Panel Cabinet |
|---|---|
Date: |
15 November 2006 16 November 2006 |
Subject: |
Neighbourhood Renewal Programme 2006- 2008 |
Report of: |
Director Designate of Environmental Services |
Contact officer: |
Angela Foster (Telephone: 01942 828947) |
Purpose / summary: |
This report summarises progress with the development of the Neighbourhood Renewal Programme 2006 - 2008. |
Alternative options considered and reason for selecting the one recommended: |
N/A |
Recommendation / decision: |
Members are requested to note the funding approved by the Local Strategic Partnership through its thematic partnerships. |
Key Decision: |
This report does not involve a key decision. |
Implications: |
|
Financial: |
No immediate consequence for the Council’s budget. The Council is required to ensure that funding is allocated to address floor targets in priority areas. Financial management arrangements will seek to minimise the Council’s exposure to financial demands after the end of the funding programme. (Wigan Council remains the Accountable Body for the Programme and will ensure that the resources are properly defrayed on the projects).
|
Staffing: |
N/A
|
Policy: |
In line with the revised Local Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy.
|
Equal Opportunities – has a Diversity Impact Assessment been conducted? |
N/A |
Wards affected: |
All. Action will be targeted in the top 10% of super output areas in the Borough on the Government’s rank of multiple deprivation |
Special Interest Members – Which have been consulted |
N/A |
Tracking/Process:
|
Consultation |
Ward Members |
Partners |
|---|---|---|---|
|
- |
- |
- |
Panel |
Overview & Scrutiny |
Cabinet |
Council |
Regeneration – 15.11.06 |
- |
16.11.06 |
- |
List of Background Papers in accordance with Section 100D of the Local Government Act 1972:
Document |
Date |
File Reference |
Place of Inspection |
|---|---|---|---|
Local Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy |
January 2006 |
|
Planning & Regeneration, Civic Buildings, New Market Street, Wigan. |
Proper Officer |
Martin Kimber |
|---|---|
Date |
27 October 2006 |
1.0 Background
1.1 The purpose of this report is to report on the progress made to date by the Local Strategic Partnership in allocating the Neighbourhood Renewal Funding
2.0 Thematic Allocations
2.1 The thematic partnerships have now commissioned and approved services and activities accounting for 95% of the NRF funds available from April 2006 to end of March 2007. Decisions on how to utilise the remaining allocations are being considered by the thematic partnerships.
2.2 Table 1 provides a list of the projects approved by thematic area and their indicative allocations. The majority of projects were approved in August/September with a start date of 1 October 2006. The thematic Partnerships have agreed to fund projects for the remaining 18 months of the programme, subject to satisfactory performance and appropriate exit strategies being put in place.
2.3 The Programmes Management Team have issued service level agreements to all projects setting out the terms and conditions of grant and officers are working with projects to ensure they put in place appropriate financial and performance monitoring systems.
2.4 Quarterly reports will be submitted to the thematic partnerships and these, along with more detailed progress reports, will be used by the partnership to review the effectiveness of the projects in delivering the required outputs and outcomes.
3.0 Neighbourhood Management
3.1 Work is progressing to implement the new approach to neighbourhood management in the 9 Priority Neighbourhoods that are in the 3% most deprived Super Output areas. Hag Fold N orth, Trees Estate, Marsh Green East, Worsley Mesnes North, Norley, Worsley Hall. Worsley Hall North, Scholes and Scholes/Birkett Bank. The project has developed into 2 distinct but interlinked strands.
3.2 The SMART Neighbourhoods programme (Strand A) is based on a highly innovative approach that focus on the rapid collation and analysis of all kinds of data and information to support improvements in services and address the inequalities gaps in the most disadvantage neighbourhoods. Activities being undertaken include:
- Establishing Baselines – work is ongoing to develop an overall baseline position of the most deprived neighbourhoods as a group and separate baselines for each of the most deprived neighbourhoods incorporating the same statistical items but adding in qualitative aspects such as maps, historical information and perception data.
- Measuring the Gap – weare working with colleagues from a range of partners to identify a repeatable set of indicators that give good coverage of the various aspects of deprivation. We will use these to track the gap and to measure the impact of our interventions in priority neighbourhoods.
- Surveys –many partner organisations have recently undertaken surveys which will assist with preparing baselines and identifying key issues in each priority neighbourhood.
- Small Area Data Group –a group of research practitioners in the Borough has been established on an informal networking basis, sharing data and training on techniques and IT packages.
- Estate Inspections –members of the SMART Neighbourhoods Team are attending the regular estate inspections carried out by Housing staff, residents and Ward Members. These provide valuable opportunities for tapping in to views of practitioners and residents on a range of issues affecting their estates. These contacts will be followed up to explore matters in greater depth and explore the insights developing from the production of baselines.
- Data Analysis for Partners– we are now offering a service of analysis of spreadsheet data based on postcodes into other suitable geographies, especially Super Output Areas. This facility has been publicised to Voluntary Sector colleagues and we are beginning to see some take-up. It is also on offer to other public sector partners.
3.3 The Priority Neighbourhoods programme (Strand B) focuses on:
- Developing ways to engage and involve local residents in improvements to service and decision making through further development of existing and new structures.
- Supporting the dissemination of the information collected through the SMART Neighbourhood Project so that this information can be shared and used to inform priorities and action plans within our priority neighbourhoods.
- Continuing to promote a strong sense of leadership in priority neighbourhoods helping to build local priorities and action plans into mainstream service plans of all major agencies.
- Helping to develop existing and new models to improve/support co-ordination of services in priority neighbourhoods.
- Providing access to short term project resources support to existing/new practitioner groups (such as Marsh Green Matters) engaging with local residents in priority neighbourhoods to help develop innovative approaches in service delivery.
- Building capacity of officers working in priority neighbourhoods so they are better equipped and able to engage and involve local residents in decisions relating to service provision.
- Building social capital within priority neighbourhoods by helping residents and groups to develop their skills and expertise to help themselves developing an effective approach to evaluation of what we are doing in the priority neighbourhoods and ensure this is shared and used to inform service planning processes and resource allocation.
Both strands are being co-ordinated and supervised by a small Steering Group that reports to the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund Community Working Group.
4.0 Conclusions
4.1 Members are requested to note the contents of the report and to endorse the Neighbourhood Renewal Grant Allocations approved through the LSP thematic Partnerships.
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