Beechwood Ballantyne tenants have a greater voice

Residents on the Beechwood and Ballantyne estate in Wirral will now have a greater say in the services provided in their neighbourhood.

Beechwood Ballantyne Community Housing Association (BBCHA, part of the Vicinity Group) has agreed with its partners, Wirral Council, various other statutory agencies and community and voluntary sector organisations to develop a neighbourhood management approach to delivering services to the local community.

The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has identified neighbourhood management as a valuable tool to improving local communities who say it “enables local communities and service providers to work together at a neighbourhood level to improve services and quality of life by joining up local services and making them more responsive to local needs. It is a process which recognises the uniqueness of each place; allowing the people that live, work or provide services in it to build on its strengths and address specific challenges.”

BBCHA, a community-led housing organisation has, since its inception in 2005, held the ambition to extend its role beyond that of housing provision and management. With this new approach residents will have a greater say in how and what services are delivered in their community. The organisation has also decided to fund this new arrangement, which is an innovative step and a departure to conventional neighbourhood management which has been traditionally funded through local authorities or direct government grant.

Development of the first action plan will take place over the next few months and will be based on the priorities identified by local residents in a recent survey, particularly in these five areas:

1. Children & young people – creating youth opportunity, raising educational attainment, reducing teenage pregnancy, and tackling issues such as infant nutrition, drug and alcohol problems
2. Health & well-being - healthy eating, smoking, exercise and general well being
3. Enterprise, employment & local aspiration – Tackling unemployment, encouraging training and opportunities for self employment.
4. Community infrastructure & engagement – transfer of local assets from statutory bodies and developing community engagement and social enterprise.
5. Cleaner, greener & safer – tackling litter, gum, dog fouling and reducing anti-social behaviour and crime.

This plan will be refreshed each year.

John Rankin Mills, BBCHA’s Neighbourhood Manager says: “We’re very excited about this new approach which will involve the community at every step of the way developing local priorities, ensuring that an annual action plan addresses the issues, thus joining up and influencing local services in order to deliver local priorities agreed at the local level.”

Wendy Oram, BBCHA Chair and tenant for four years says: “This is a natural progression for our community as we’ve always championed the right to have a direct say in the management of our homes. This new way of working will allow us to tailor existing services beyond the bricks and mortar; putting the needs of the community at the heart of what we do.”

David Ball, Head of Housing and Regeneration at Wirral Council says: "Wirral Council recognises the positive impact that neighbourhood management can have in enhancing service delivery. As a key service provider we will support this approach and work closely with Beechwood Ballantyne Community Housing Association (BBCHA) to maximise these benefits."