ITEM 4

7th June 2018

North West Sector Community Planning Partnership

Report by Director of Governance and Solicitor to the Council

Contact: Linda Devlin/Kathy Owens Telephone: 0141 276 9900/0141 211 0616

Ruchill Possilpark Thriving Places

Purpose of Report:

To advise members of progress of Possilpark Thriving Places

Recommendations:

The North West Sector Partnership is asked to note the progress to date with regard to Ruchill Possilpark Thriving Places.

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1. Introduction

The North West Sector Partnership at its meeting in May 2013 agreed that the initial focus for the Thriving Places approach in the north west of the city would be Ruchill/Possilpark. A Steering Group was subsequently established to take forward the development and delivery of an action plan.

The Steering Group was initially established to deliver Thriving Places, the membership of which included community representatives from Ruchill and Possilpark Community Councils, Parkhouse Focus Group, Hawthorn Housing Association, Housing Association, North Housing Association and Queens Cross Housing Association as well as key representatives from local groups/ organisations and service providers. Initial actions included:

 Undertaking community engagement at the earliest stages using a range of mechanisms that were accessible and of interest to all sectors of the community such as events, walkabouts, programmes of conversations with groups and individuals, with a view to gathering information on perceptions and views about the areas of Ruchill, Possilpark and Parkhouse;

 Asset mapping with the community to identify what could be built upon and where there were gaps;

 Mapping resources in the area as a basis for discussion with residents on how services might be redesigned to better meet local needs;

 Collating area based data on issues such as population, economic activity, benefits and tax credits, health, housing and education, skills and training; and

 An analysis of former community consultations completed in the area to identify local issues with a view to using them as starters for community conversations and to determine whether the issues had been addressed, it they were still relevant or required to be refined.

The Thriving Places Group, which meets quarterly, has increased its membership since its inception in late 2014 to ensure emerging issues are addressed appropriately and to progress the priorities as identified in the Ruchill Possilpark Thriving Places Locality Plan.

Working groups such as Young People and Families Group, Possilpark People’s Trust and three Thematic Groups meet more regularly to drive forward specific issues as identified within the current Locality Plan.

2. Anchor Organisation

North Glasgow Housing Association was appointed as the local Anchor Organisation in 2015 to

(a) provide HR support for the Community Connector post holder; and

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(b) be the grant recipient for the Integrated Grant Funding award, from which funding is ring-fenced to support the Community Connector Post and to provide small grants to local initiatives as determined through by the Ruchill Possilpark Thriving Places Group.

3. Community Connector

The Community Connector is a crucial support for the delivery of the Thriving Places agenda. As well as working directly with local residents to raise awareness of Thriving Places, the Community Connector has

 worked on building relationships across the community,  provided opportunities for discussion and debate amongst the community to facilitate involvement in service planning and delivery; and  engaged with local people to improve an understanding of the Thriving Places approach;

The postholder supports residents, on an individual and group basis, to develop skills and confidence to participate in community life, as well as building on the sense of community pride and commitment to their area. It is perceived that, by working with local people to demonstrate the integral role that they can have in planning and delivering services, this will have a longer term impact on health, employment, participation, learning etc.

The post has been vacant since the 8th of September 2017. Due to the uncertainity regarding ongoing funding beyond 31 March 2018 a recruitment process was not deemed viable by partners. As such there was a gap in progression of the project outputs during the latter 6 month period of 2017/18. Action was taken to fill this capacity through the comission of specific faciliation and support roles through the Lambhill and Milton Community Connector specifically looking at food poverty in the Thriving Place area and Foundation Scotland supporting the development of the Young People and Familiy Group.

A recruitment process began in late March 2018 to fill the vacant post and interviews took place on 9 May 2018. The start date for the successful candidate is 11 June 2018.

4. Ruchill Possilpark Locality Plan

The Ruchill Possilpark Thriving Places Locality Plan was published by Glasgow Community Planning Partnership on 1 October 2017 and is now providing local strategic direction. Three themes were identified by local people and organisations where it was felt positive change could be achieved within the communities and to support regeneration of the area. The themes are People, Place and Economy, with associated priorities and short, medium and long term outcomes for the local communities.

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4.1 Place theme

The first event for the Locality Plan Place theme took place on 14 December 2017 at which 34 people attended. Representation at the event included local people who volunteer in the local area, voluntary sector staff, Housing Associations, HSCP staff, Scottish Fire and Rescue and .

The aim of the session was to highlight some of the ongoing developments in the area which many were not directly involved in and to ensure positive outcomes were achieved in relation to the Place theme.

Presentations and discussions groups focused on  Vacant and Derelict land sites – recent investment, 2016 survey indicators, issues and opportunities  Development proposals of key vacant sites – Cowlairs and Hamiltonhill  Jobs and Business Glasgow – stalled spaces sites at Killearn St and Stonyhurst St.  City Property portfolio – the former Ardoch House and Millennium Centre site  Scottish Enterprise – owner of the former Ruchill Hospital site  Scottish Canals – overview of the history of the canal, the ongoing work to reinvigorate the canal network and the ambition that local people will play a role in informing decisions, use the canal and benefit from future development

Further discussions took place on other aspects of the Place theme and how they could also be linked with the other themes of People and Economy. These included

 Environment and Space  Facilities, services and transport  Housing, Planning and Development

In order to progress the ‘Place’ theme it was agreed that

(a) benefit would be best achieved by enhancing connections at all levels in the neighbourhood, communities, groups, services and physical connections;

(b) support from the elected members would be required to ensure connectivity and influence to the wider system;

(c) a Place thematic group should be formed with membership derived from those with shared interests to consider future actions and to enable dialogue among those with shared interests; and

(d) this group would connect over time with other Thriving Places thematic groups.

Jim Corbatt (DRS, Glasgow City Counicil) and Linda Devlin (Democratic Services, Glasgow City Council) are leading development of this theme.

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4.2 People

The Spirit Panel and the ‘People’ theme planning group are collectively working together to co-host ‘Your Community Event’ on 13 June 2018 in Possilpark Community Centre to celebrate and share information about the many opportunities available in Ruchill and Possilpark.

It is proposed that the event will provide an opportunity for local people, groups and organisations to

 be more aware of what is happening in the area and how they can connect with each other;  talk about their community, the changes they would like to see and how they can be involved in decisions and change, either through existing or new ways; and  showcase their work and advise of local volunteering and/or membership opportunities.

The proposed programme will include:

 the official launch of Spirit of Ruchill and Possilpark celebration film;  a range of stalls/ activities to let attendees know what is happening in the neighbourhood, including the launch of a summer programme;  a programme of inputs showing people what happens at different groups e.g. CoreMetafit and cookery demos  CPR training by Scottish Fire and Rescue  activities for children and young people  an opportunity for the representatives to discuss their organisation’s role in achieving the People theme outcomes.

A lead for this theme has yet to be established.

4.3 Economy theme

An event for the Economy theme is currently at the initial development stage with much work to be done with regard to asset mapping services currently being delivered within the Ruchill and Possilpark area.

A small planning group has met once to date. Membership included Jobs and Business Glasgow, Health Improvement (HSCP), local trader, Possilpark People’s Trust. A lead for this theme has yet to be identified. Further information will be provided to a future meeting of the Sector Partnership.

5. Notable achievements

During 2017/18 a number of achievements took place

. a) in Hamiltonhill over 100 residents took part in the 'Our Hammyhill' event to celebrate their community, create changes in the enviornment and plan for their desired future of the neighbourhood. A booklet was developed to share these views with the wider community in Hammiltonhill and with Thriving Places Partners. This has informed changes to the Queens Cross Housing Association development plan for the area, and continued action by local citizens see's opportunities being increased. This includes use of the improved access to the Clay pits nature reserve. b) Participation from partners and local residents has also increased. More than 12 local residents have become involved in some of the existing groups and events which have been held, and most of these residents are maintaining a relationship with these formal Structures. c) Equally community led participation channels though the Spirit Panel have continued to develop and improve the local neighbourhood. Spirit Panel continued to organise community budgeting events with support from CC and partners when requested (250 local people participated in and voted at one of the community events). This has seen the panel distribute their remaining Fourteen funds as per the requirement. A celebration video is under development to highlight the success of this work in Ruchill and Possilpark.

The Panel

(i) proposes to continue developing as a resource for the local community; (ii) has been successful in securing funds beyond March 2018 to deliver Community Budgetting events locally; (iii) is launching a recruitment drive for new members, and (iv) have planned a development day on 30 June to look at their ambition as a panel in 2019 and beyond. d) Young People and Families Group received facilitated support which assisted its members to develop a shared purpose and encourage more partnership working by local organisations that provide support and activities for young people and families in Ruchill and Possilpark. Partners are developing a summer programme and calendar of events to encourage joint working and reduce duplication. Most importantly, it will provide local people with information, in one place about all the opportunities that are available, making these services more accessible. The Group will also be looking at the role members can play in achieving the Locality Plan’s objectives. e) A report has been developed which discusses the community based responses to food poverty in the Canal Ward. As this is a shared issue for both Ruchill and Possilpark, and Lambhill and Milton Thriving Places discussion to further understand and address this issue in a dignified way which supports people in crisis, as well as addressing root causes of poverty and increasing skills and capacity of local people is underway. A stakeholder session has been arranged for the 20th June.

. f) Six organisations are submitting a joint application for city-wide funds to address ‘holiday hunger’ in Ruchill and Possilpark. This will provide a model for partners to attract additional resources into the Thriving Place area by working together to address unmet needs.

A range of programmes have continued to develop or have come to a natural end. These include:

A. The Unsung heroes project concluded with a celebration which brought local people together to discuss the positives in therir communities.

B. The Ruchill Parkrun celebrated its first birthday and has continued to see positive numbers weekly - although there sometimes a challenge getting the number of volunteers needed to support.

C. Connectsing choir has a membership of 13 local residents who use singing as a means of boosting confidence and self esteem. With the assistance of a dedicated tutor the choir has performed at many local events.

D. CoreMetaFit exercise classes are available in Ruchill Community Centre at which 26 members attend regularly. The sessions are organised by a local resident who is currently providing accredited instructor training sessions for 6 other local people in order to meet demand for further classes.

6. Recommendation

The North West Sector Partnership is asked to note the progress to date with regard to Ruchill Possilpark Thriving Places.