Tividale Neighbourhood
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26 Tividale Neighbourhood Neighbourhood Profile 26.1 The Tividale Neighbourhood is located in the Tividale Ward of Sandwell MBC (see Map at Appendix 6). It is a large neighbourhood, mainly residential in nature and containing a significant amount of open space. It makes up the largest part of Tividale Ward, it is bounded by the New Birmingham Road to the north with Grace Mary Neighbourhood to the east with Oakham Neighbourhood to the south west. The nature of the neighbourhood is such that it comprises many ‘sub’ neighbourhoods – indeed the area to the south of Grace Mary might more properly be an extension to Grace Mary rather than be part of Tividale Neighbourhood. 26.2 The census data from 2001 identifies that Tividale has a population of 6490 – this shows a decline of 992 people since the 1991 census. 94.6% (6132) people are white. Of the remaining 5.4% the largest population groups are identified as Indian 1.6% with 1.8% Caribbean and 1.1% mixed race. 26.3 The population is split 52%: 48% female to male. There are 2001 people aged 0-24 living in the neighbourhood – that is 30.8%. There are 1375 people aged 60 and over – that is 21.2%. All of these are very close to the Borough’s figures. 2001 Census key statistics data and neighbourhood profile attached as Appendix 7. Transforming the Urban form 26.4 There are 2683 households in the neighbourhood, 1883 (70.5%) are in owner-occupation. This is higher than the Sandwell average of 60.3%. 616 properties are rented from the local authority (23.1%) this is lower than the borough average of 26.6%. There are 173 properties rented from other sources such as Housing Associations. 715 (26.7%) are without central heating. 6 are without own bath/shower and toilet. 27% of households are one-person households. 49% are occupied by couples the remainder are lone parent households (with or without dependant children) – 10% and all other households 13.9%. 26% of all households in the Tividale Neighbourhood lack central heating compared to a borough average of 18.1. The percentage of overcrowded households is slightly below the borough average at 6.0% as opposed to 6.6% for the borough. The average cost of desrepairs to Council owned properties works out to be £23,016 compared to £19,207 for the borough. In terms of void rates for Council properties, this is almost half the borough average at 2.3% compared to the borough average of 4.1%. 26.5 The neighbourhood is mainly residential, there are some shops on Wheatsheaf Road – between Hollies and Fairway Roads. There is some concern about young people congregating by these shops and drinking/causing anti-social behaviour. There are some allegations of drug taking. There are also shops on Tower Road and City Road. There are a number of public houses which form focal points. The majority of properties in the Neighbourhood are traditional build 2 and 3 bedroom houses. Within the Council there has been a large right to buy take up, especially in Wheatsheaf and Regent Roads. Creating a Safer Sandwell 26.6 The Community Safety Team based at Sandwell Council House has produced a crime audit for Tividale (Appendix 8). Total recorded crime has risen by 20% in Tividale over a 5 year period and by 50% over a 1 year period. The 5 year rise is comparable to similar rises in Sandwell and Oldbury Town area. However, the 1 year rise is well above average. Domestic Burglary ( Burglary Dwellings) has shown a sharp upward trend over both 5 and 1 year periods. Those rises are in excess of the Oldbury Town average and are a reversal of the general downward trend in the Borough for this category of offence. Conversely recorded offences of Burglary Other Buildings have shown a considerable reduction over 1 year and the levels of incidents reported are now back to what they were 5 years ago. 26.7 Likewise Thefts of Motor Vehicles are considerably reduced over 5 and 1 year periods with greater reductions than the Borough and Oldbury Town averages, but over a 5 year period there has been a considerable increase in Thefts From Vehicles. However this rise is not as great as it might have been largely due to a very significant reduction of over 46% in the last year. Overall the combined categories of Thefts Of and Thefts From vehicles have shown more substantial reductions than the Borough and Oldbury Town area. 26.8 Robbery has also shown and increase over both 5 and 1 year periods but the percentage figures tend to be distorted as a result of the low number of offences reported. Whilst there has been a reduction in reported offences of Criminal Damage there are increases in Violence Offences and Disorder Categories. The Community Safety Team suggest that any targeted interventions should focus upon Domestic Burglary and Anti Social Behaviour. However, in carrying out such work Vehicle Crime and Burglary Other Buildings should also be carefully monitored for any signs of an upward trend. 26.9 Oldbury Fire Station personnel will continue to work in partnership to identify vulnerable people and ensure that they are offered a full domestic fire risk assessments and link them to the smoke alarm fitting programme. Green Watch work closely with the Grace Mary Neighbourhood and may develop this work further into Tividale. They already have close links with the schools in the neighbourhood. 26.10 Oldbury Town Team will also work with the Police, Warm Zone (for the rest of its life) and West Midlands Fire Service to secure additional funding in order that all households receive a home safety/security pack. Improving Health and Conditions for Good Health 26.11 The 2001 census indicates that 1257 residents (19.4%) consider themselves to have a limiting long-term illness. A further 9.7% (632) feel their general health is “not good”. Both of these figures are slightly below the Sandwell average. (Ray – This is another neighbourhood in RR and T PCT and therefore I know hardly anything about how and where the residents access their health services – I know there is a clinic at Elm Terrace. Is there anything else?) 26.12 There is the Gables Private Nursing Home on Wolverhampton Road, it has 51 beds. Revitalise Sandwell’s Economy 26.13 68.5% of Tividale residents aged 16-74 years are economically active, there are 4.0% (186) people unemployed with 57 (1.2%) long term. 2943 people are employed (63.1%). These are below the Borough average. Of the people in employment 68.2% (2056) travel to work by car with 13.2% (398) using public transport. 29.7% of households are without a car/van – this is lower than the Borough average of 37.5%. Promoting Lifelong Learning 26.14 There are 1021 children of school age currently registered at local schools. The main destination of pupils is Tividale Hall Primary (293), Tividale High (282) Oakham Primary (184), St Michael’s CE High School (96), and Grace Mary Primary (77). Small number of pupils attend 35 other Sandwell Schools. These figures are supplied by Education and Lifelong Learning extracted from schools PLASC returns for January 2003. Oakham, Grace Mary and Tividale Hall Primary schools are in the neighbourhood. As is the Meadows School on Regent Road. The Oakham Pupil Referral Unit adjoins the neighbourhood. All schools in the neighbourhood have received additional funding from the Oldbury Town Teams NRF programme and the Children’s Fund. 26.15 Key stage 2 and 4 results for these schools is attached as appendix 9. 26.16 The 2001 Census records 1981 (42.4%) of people aged 16- 74 years from the neighbourhood with no qualifications and 332 (7.1%) of people qualified to degree level or higher. These are lower than the borough averages of 45.6% and 9.7% respectively. 26.17 Oakham Library in Poplar Rise is situated in the Tividale Neighbourhood. It is open Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturday mornings. Its Homework Club, which is well attended, runs on Mondays after school. The library also has close links with local primary schools and encourages them to visit for storytelling and author visits. the Library Service’s Toy Library provides a Stay and Play session every six weeks for younger children. The Friends of Oakham Library is an active, consultative group of local residents and meets quarterly. Two local councillors hold surgeries in the library on the first, third and fourth Saturday of every month. Five computers with free internet access are available for free public use, along with printing and scanning facilities and a variety of software, as well as special needs adaptions. Free computer taster sessions for the beginner are offered and the library works in conjunction with Sandwell Adult Education to provide Bitesize taster courses to encourage local residents into learning. Services for Children and Young People 26.18 SNIP (the Sandwell Neighbourhood Intelligence Project) has produced a profile of young people in Tividale. This is attached as appendix 10, it relies on 1991 Census data and is soon to be updated. 26.19 There is are Early Steps parent and toddler session held at Elm Terrace Clinic on Monday and Wednesday mornings. There are other Early Steps sessions held just outside of the neighbourhood, but serving it. One of these – the Tividale Tots takes place at Tividale Community Centre on Lower City Road on Monday and Thursday afternoons. 26.20 There is a play area at Viewpoint, otherwise there is no organised activities/facilities for young people.