EDGEHILL AREA ESTATE AGREEMENT

Issue 2013 Edgehill Area Estate Agreement

Contents Page

3 Introduction

4 Equality and Diversity

Members of the Panel

4 Information for New Tenants and Residents

4 Priorities for the Edgehill Area

4 Community and Leisure Dog fouling Dog fouling 4 The Environment

6 Housing

8 Noise and Anti-Social Behaviour

10 Traffic

Fly-tipping 11 How to get involved

12 Appendix 1: Repair Target Times Anti-Social Behaviour Response Targets Police Drop-In Surgery Timetable

Attlee Close 14 Appendix 2: The Background to the First Estate Agreement in the Borough of Scarborough

Issue 2013 Introduction

The Edgehill Area Estate Agreement has been developed following discussions between:

 Edgehill Tenants and Residents Association  An Estate Agreement Panel of local tenants and residents  Housing Associations of the Edgehill Area: Yorkshire Coast Homes (YCH), Chevin and Sanctuary  Scarborough Borough Council’s Street Scene, Highways Department and Safer Communities Partnership  Youth Offending Team  Filey and Scarborough Trust for Recycling  North Yorkshire Police  North Yorkshire Fire Service  Scarborough and District Council for Voluntary Service (SDCVS)  Age Concern

Representatives from all of the above groups have been involved in negotiating the Estate Agreement. This Estate Agreement covers over 500 homes in the Edgehill Area.

The issues that the Estate Agreement aims to tackle are based on concerns local people raised in:

 The Estate Agreement Panel meetings  A questionnaire sent to their homes in April 2005  A walkabout in the area on 27th April 2005  Estate Agreement review October 2007  Estate Agreement review June 2009  Estate Agreement review June 2010  Estate Agreement review in October 2013

This Estate Agreement seeks to:

 Improve services to local tenants and residents by setting standards to be followed  Improve communication between service providers and with local people  Encourage tenants and residents to become more involved in their local area  Make service providers answerable to service users  Allow all those involved to monitor the services provided

Issue 2013 More information about how this Estate Agreement was developed can be found at the end of the booklet.

Equality and Diversity

The Housing Associations and other service providers involved in the creation of this Estate Agreement strongly believe that all tenants and residents regardless of their race, colour, ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexuality, marital status, disability, age, religion, or belief should have fair access to high quality services.

Information to New Tenants and Residents

The Housing Associations involved will provide all applicants and tenants requesting to live in one of their properties in the Edgehill Area with information about and a copy of this Estate Agreement. The Edgehill Tenants and Residents Association will also hold copies of the Estate Agreement for any new residents who approach the group when they move into the area.

Priorities for the Edgehill Area

The priorities in this Estate Agreement are based on the results of the questionnaire sent to all of the tenants/residents in the area. A priority is an issue in the questionnaire that half of those that replied agreed with. Issues that were not given this level of support will not be prioritised in this Estate Agreement but may be an area of focus if they are considered more important in the future.

Community and Leisure

The questionnaire sent to all tenants/residents included a section relating to Community and Leisure. When the results were analysed however, it appeared that there were no significant problems in this area and therefore this is not a priority in this agreement but could be in the future if issues change.

The Environment

Everyone wants to live in a clean, pleasant environment, but we all have to play our part in ensuring that is what we achieve. The removal of rubbish and litter from an area costs us all as it is funded by either Council Tax or tenants’ rents, and the more money that is spent on these activities, the less money there is available for other services.

Issue 2013 Responsibility Problem Desired 2010-2011 Action taken & 2013-2016 Action taken & Outcome date date completed completed Fly-tipping.

Street Scene SBC will clear To keep Areas of fly- Sanctuary Areas of fly- Scarborough all areas if you Estates clear of tipping Housing tipping Borough call the unsightly identified Association identified Council (SBC), Customer First furniture, white notified SBC Customer First Centre. goods, etc. Rear of Wye and land Rear of Wye This area has Centre Tel: Provide a bulky Court, cleared. Court. Ongoing recently been 232521 items service Fly-tipping at May 2010. issue with Fly- cleared and will as long as the back of the tipping be monitored. items are left sub-station on PC Rowland outside the Sanctuary land. Baxter placed a property. request with SBC CCTV Rear of This is checked dept to scan Tricourt occasionally the area and Fly-tipping on and cleared Housing Will arrange for land has been Sanctuary when required. Associations (if the area to be cleared. owned land. Ongoing rubbish is cleared. May 2010. dumped on land owned by Top of TRA will them) Hinderwell SBC aware of Edgehill Rd continue to Tel: Road Top End fly-tipping via (near monitor this - Chevin on Kerry Lee. Hinderwell area 08452 701088 Pocket of land John Casey of School). - Sanctuary on subject to fly- Safer Some items fly 08457 573263 tipping and Communities to -tipped in this - YCH on 0845 fires. A street request repair area 065 56 56 lamp has been of lamp and vandalised due anti-climb paint to stone- and metal throwing. cage. Ongoing.

Tenants and Will work Partnership Litterpick Skip provided Residents together with working to undertaken in and Litterpick Association, the local increase March 2011 by undertaken in Housing community to ownership of YCH staff and March 2013. Associations, work out estate and to pupils from Further cleans SBC planned spring improve the Hinderwell to be clean for the environment in School. undertaken on spring of each which they an annual year where reside. basis. required.

Dog-fouling

Street Scene SBC appreciate To encourage During the No action to be During the No action to be Scarborough information people to report 2010 Review taken 2013 Estate taken Borough received from persistent there was no Walkround no Council (SBC), the public and offenders and concerns concerns were Customer First will take action keep residential raised over dog raised with Centre Tel: against anyone areas clear of fouling, and regard to dog 232521 who allows dog fouling. there was no fouling and no their dog to evidence of evidence of foul. dog fouling on dog fouling If you would the streets Issuefound in2013 the like to report a visited as part areas visited. persistent of the review. offender Tel: 232521 and Housing

The Housing Associations involved in this Estate Agreement are determined to further improve their services for their tenants.

Responsibility Problem Desired 2010-2011 Action taken & Outcome date completed Tenants’ untidy/overgro wn gardens

Housing Tenants not Improve the Tricourt PCSO Rowland Tricourt Associations keeping their visual standard Area has undertook No specific gardens tidy will of the improved slightly checks on these issues at receive a letter neighbourhood. but area to rear cars and present asking them to of houses has Sanctuary to address the To identify any become have them No particularly problem as it is problem patches overgrown and removed. overgrown / a breach of their and resolve items dumped in untidy gardens tenancy issues. this area noted at time of agreement and including two walkround. will be warned of untaxed cars. the consequences. If the problem continues, further action will be taken.

In addition, a walkabout of the area will be carried out at least twice a year. Lack of visits by Housing Associations to check the condition of Issue 2013 and any alterations to properties belonging to them Housing Associations Housing Officers Develop positive Undertaken by Housing Officers will personally relationship Tenancy Dept at no longer visit visit each of their between YCH and issues properties every organisation’s residents and identified two years. properties housing officers However, periodically once to ensure issues Ongoing Housing Officers every 2 years to are identified and Property make sure and resolved Inspectors tenants are: quickly. conduct regular - Keeping to estate their tenancy walkrounds to agreement in flag up any terms of internal properties that alterations and may need the condition of attention. their property - Check for any necessary repairs - Identify/resolve any other problems.

Issue 2013 Noise and Anti Social Behaviour

Anti-social behaviour is any behaviour likely to cause alarm, distress, annoyance, or disturbance to any person. Anti-social behaviour can include:  Overgrown and untidy gardens  Dumped rubbish  Dog fouling and barking dogs  Bad and inconsiderate parking  Fights and arguments in the street  Abusive language and threatening behaviour  Vandalism and graffiti  Loud and frequent noise nuisance  Theft and other crimes  Drug and alcohol abuse  Drug dealing

The organisations behind this Estate Agreement believe that everyone has the right to live free from harassment, nuisance and other forms of anti social behaviour. Together we will aim to reduce incidents of anti-social behaviour, by early intervention and appropriate action.

If you witness any acts of anti-social behaviour you should contact the appropriate agency e.g. the police. Alternatively, you can call the Safer Communities Partnership on 01723 384444 and leave a message for them to pass on to the appropriate organisations the next working day. Please note that the hotline is not a response line.

The Safer Communities Partnership is a multi-agency partnership comprising of statutory, voluntary and the private sector as well as community groups all committed to reducing crime, disorder and drug misuse across the Borough.

The Partnership believes that everyone has the right to live in a safe and tolerant society, and that everyone has a responsibility to behave in a way that respects this right.

To this end, the Partnership has drawn up a three year strategy which identifies the priorities and sets out the activities necessary to achieve real reductions in crime and disorder, and to improve the quality of life for those living, working and visiting the area. For more information visit www.safermoorsandcoast.org.uk

How to get involved

If you are interested in the activities of the Panel for the Edgehill Area Estate Agreement please contact a member of the Scarborough South Team on 0845 065 5656.

If you are interested in the Edgehill Tenants and Residents Association leave a message for the Chair, Pat Lee, at the Falsgrave Community Resource Centre reception. Tel: 01723 374437.

Issue 2013 Appendix 1

Repair Target Times

Type of repair Timescale Applies to Proposal Emergency – to Made safe within 2 YCH, Chevin remove immediate hours and completed danger to people, within 24 hours. avoid serious damage to property, Made safe within 24 Sanctuary make the property hours secure or restore essential services e.g. water, electricity Urgent – work that Fixed within 7 days YCH needs to be carried out quickly, to overcome serious inconvenience to the tenant, or to prevent more damage to the property Routine Completed within 28 YCH, Sanctuary days

Anti- Social Behaviour Response Times

SANCTUARY Depending on the severity of the Between 1 and 5 working days from the situation, staff will interview the person time the report was received. who is the target of, or affected by, anti- social behaviour or nuisance.

YCH Serious allegations of assault, racial Contact within 1 day harassment or threats of violence Removal of dangerous rubbish such as Remove within 1 working day syringes Removal of racist or abusive graffiti Remove within 2 working days Allegations about loud or persistent noise Contact within 5 working days nuisance Allegations about low level nuisance, Contact within 10 working days such as overgrown gardens, parking Removal of graffiti or rubbish Remove within 5 working days

Appendix 2

Issue 2013 The Background to the First Estate Agreement in the Borough of Scarborough

Yorkshire Coast Homes (YCH) in partnership with Sanctuary Housing, Chevin and the Edgehill Tenants and Residents Association, came together to create an Estate Agreement for the Edgehill Area. This was a pilot scheme and if successful would be carried out across the whole of the Borough.

What is an Estate Agreement?

Estate Agreements are locally agreed between landlords and tenants/residents. The purpose of an Estate Agreement is to improve local service facilities and the environment in the chosen area. These local agreements are made up of targets that are negotiated between all interested groups, e.g. Tenants/Residents, Housing Associations, the Council, and the Police.

Why did the Housing Associations with Edgehill Tenants and Residents Association develop the Estate Agreement?

The aim of this pilot Estate Agreement was to show the commitment of the housing associations and local tenants/residents to providing a quality housing service in the Edgehill Area and working together to improve the local environment.

The main hopes for this Estate Agreement were: - To identify any issues or problems which have a negative affect on the Edgehill Area - To ensure that housing services in the area offer best value to customers - To improve active participation of tenants/residents in the provision of services in the local area - To improve communications and consultation between tenants/residents and organisations in the Edgehill Area

What are the advantages for Tenants and Residents?

Estate Agreements aim to bring many benefits to your local community: - Give you the opportunity to become more involved in local issues - Allow you to have more of a say in local decisions that affect you - Clearly tell you what standards you can expect - Make service providers even more answerable to you

How are Estate Agreements developed?

The procedure followed for setting up an Estate Agreement is as follows: - Stage 1 - Presentation A public meeting of tenants/residents and other stakeholders to explain the purpose of an Estate Agreement and the benefits it could bring as well as to recruit a panel of tenants/residents who are happy to work with the RSLs. - Stage 2 - Panel Meeting The group of interested tenants/residents meet to design a questionnaire and organise a walkabout in the area to find out what issues are important to local tenants/residents.

Issue 2013 - Stage 3 - Questionnaire Send it to all homes in the area to be covered by the agreement to give tenants/residents the opportunity to express their opinions about local issues. - Stage 4 - Walkabout Housing Association representatives with members of the panel walk around the area taking photographic evidence of problem areas and speak to local tenants/residents about their problems. - Stage 5 – Panel Meeting Panel members are given the opportunity to read, check and comment on the draft agreement before it is sent to all tenants/residents in the area. - Stage 6 - Draft Estate Agreement The document is sent to all the people who replied to the questionnaire so we can get their general opinion about the draft. - Stage 7 – Public Meeting A question and answer session is held which gives local tenants/residents the chance to give their opinion about the draft agreement and suggest any changes. - Stage 8 - Final Estate Agreement The finalised agreement is sent to homes in the area for tenants/residents to read and understand the commitments of the agreement and for them to use as a reference in the future. - Stage 9 - Six-Monthly Review The agreement is reviewed initially after the first six months to ensure that it is still relevant and effective, and to make any necessary changes to it in consultation with the Panel, local tenants/residents and all other interested parties. - Stage 10 - Annual Review The agreement will be reviewed 12 months after the initial six-monthly review and then tenants/residents will be consulted to decide the frequency of reviews in the future. The purpose of the annual review is to check that previous targets have been met and to agree new targets. This process will involve all interested groups.

What happens if targets aren’t met?

If as a tenant or resident of the Edgehill area, you feel that one of the agencies involved in the Estate Agreement has failed to meet its target you can:  Raise your concern with the Edgehill Tenants and Residents Association.  If necessary the Tenants and Residents Association will pass on your concern to the Customer Initiatives Team at YCH who will act as a contact between you and the agency to resolve the failure  If you are not satisfied with the above outcome you can follow the complaints procedure for the agency in question.

Copies of this Estate Agreement can be made available in large print, Braille or on audio cassette as well as in other languages on request.

Issue 2013