Transforming Place: Working Together for Better Neighbourhoods
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Transforming Place: Working together for better neighbourhoods Transforming Place: Working together for better neighbourhoods Contents Foreword ........................................................................................................................... 3 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 6 Context .............................................................................................................................. 8 A framework for action in neighbourhoods ..................................................................... 11 1. Neighbourhood working to be locally designed and delivered ............................... 14 2. Joined-up and better coordinated services ............................................................. 14 3. Build social capital and support resident-led activity .............................................. 14 4. Bring communities together to build a local sense of belonging ............................. 14 5. Identify and harness neighbourhood assets to benefit local communities ............. 14 6. Embed neighbourhood working through city council districts ................................ 15 7. A Neighbourhood focus to be integrated in citywide plans and strategies ............. 15 8. Share learning and information across neighbourhoods ......................................... 15 What neighbourhood working means for citizens ............................................................ 16 Working together for better neighbourhoods – Making it happen .................................. 19 Principles of neighbourhoods working: a new relationship .......................................... 19 Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................... 20 Appendix 1: Neighbourhood Action Commitments .......................................................... 22 Appendix 2: Guidance for District Policy Statements, Development Plans & Conventions ......................................................................................................................................... 32 A. Background .......................................................................................................... 32 B. Guidance.............................................................................................................. 33 1. District Conventions ................................................................................................ 33 2. District Policy Statements ....................................................................................... 33 3. District Development Plans ..................................................................................... 34 4. Place Making Lead for District Committees ............................................................ 35 Appendix 3: Acknowledgements ...................................................................................... 40 2 Transforming Place: Working together for better neighbourhoods Foreword Councillor John Cotton Cabinet Member for Social Cohesion and Equalities When the city council started to develop its new approach to neighbourhoods, I was determined that it should reflect the experience and aspirations of local communities. I wanted to hear the views of residents, professionals and community groups about how the city council can work with others to support local neighbourhoods. Go out into any neighbourhood in Birmingham and you don’t have to look too far to find people with a passion and enthusiasm for local action. There is a real desire for neighbourhoods to take more control and to do things differently – a desire that was powerfully expressed throughout our discussions with communities. This framework, ‘Transforming Place ‘, is rooted in those conversations and ideas. Birmingham has a strong tradition of community action and innovation. We must draw upon this experience and knowledge, this record of practical action, if we are to meet the substantial challenges our city faces in 2014 and beyond. We are living through a period of austerity unprecedented in its scale and scope. It is already forcing drastic changes to the kind of services the council provides to the public and the means by which those services are delivered. Many hard working families are struggling to make ends meet. The lives of the most vulnerable in our society are increasingly affected. Economic hardship doesn’t just hurt individuals. It can damage places too, causing them to become run down and depressed. Facing up to these challenges requires a new approach, one in which the city council works alongside residents, local organisations and service providers – marshalling scarce resources, breaking down silos and making more creative use of the assets and skills we have sat in our neighbourhoods. That’s how we will ensure that our neighbourhoods become stronger, more resilient places, where people can come together to improve things and have a voice in the decisions that affect their lives. During this process, I have heard about the key ingredients of resilient and transformative neighbourhoods. They are places where people look out for each other and where there is an energy and dynamism to address issues. They are places that are able to respond to changing circumstances and face difficult issues. They are places where people share their expertise and develop local talent. There are many examples of such places highlighted in this framework. Birmingham is fortunate in having many diverse and distinct neighbourhoods and this means that we need an approach that embraces that diversity. One size cannot fit all. Our aim is to support positive development across Birmingham in all neighbourhoods, building on local assets and fostering cooperation. Our pledge The city council cannot make this change alone. We want to work in collaboration with others to improve opportunities at a local level. This is a new approach in which new kinds of relationships will be 3 Transforming Place: Working together for better neighbourhoods forged and new approaches co-designed with others. We will not only identify local assets and opportunities but provide a framework to enable the ideas in this report to be implemented, stripping out unnecessary bureaucracy and having more open and transparent processes. The action plan in this document sets out how the city council and District Committees will contribute to the delivery of these ambitious aims. Make a Pledge If you want to help to transform a neighbourhood I am keen to hear from you. Maybe you want to become a Birmingham Place of Welcome or volunteer your expertise and time to a local project? Maybe you are already running a local project and want to join our neighbourhood network? Or perhaps you are a Birmingham organisation who can provide neighbourhood management support locally. If so please make a pledge at http://fairbrum.wordpress.com/, or contact The Challenge Unit [email protected] , or telephone 0121 675 3499. Councillor John Cotton 4 Transforming Place: Working together for better neighbourhoods A “one-size fits all” approach will not work in a city the size of Birmingham and more local delivery is essential to the future success of everyone who lives here. Sparkbrook Forum tackles graffiti with partners Bringing people together around big initiatives gets effective responses, and builds a strong cohesive voice Edgbaston 12 Aug 2013 Summerfield & Ladywood Timebankers The most visual thing is to transform a place by turning a building into something beautiful. Otherwise it’s Acocks Green negative, there’s no future and Village in Bloom people don’t feel valued transformed a Hodge Hill derelict space to be 15 Aug 2013 used as a community orchard @hodgehillvicar highlights what should be excellent assets for a local community are totally useless if they are not accessible "Close to major commuter routes." M6, rail line & River Tame: #FirsandBromford's inaccessible assets #fairbrum River Tame Derelict building Digbeth 5 Transforming Place: Working together for better neighbourhoods Introduction Birmingham has a long history of neighbourhood working and we want to build on this by coming together to focus our collective efforts in building strong and vibrant neighbourhoods. The Leader’s Policy Statement 2013 sets out a mission to “protect the most vulnerable in our city, open up opportunities to the most excluded and narrow the gap in life chances between our citizens” as well as rebuilding “engagement in local democracy by putting local people and communities at the heart of everything we do”. It set out a commitment to develop a Neighbourhood Strategy, engage District Committees and consult on the final shape of this through a Democratic City Summit and detailed neighbourhood based dialogue. Following this detailed consultation and engagement through a summer of dialogue with local people, communities, voluntary and community sector and public sector organisations a consensus has been reached on the approach and content of the Neighbourhood Strategy. In particular all parties have wanted to produce a strategy that is action focussed providing a framework for delivering better outcomes in Birmingham’s neighbourhoods rather than a document that sits on a shelf gathering dust. One of the key commitments made in the Making Birmingham an Inclusive City white paper published in March 2013 was to: ‘Empower