Christmas Update Continued

Following the West Marsh Forward November meeting it was agreed to put in a Community Action Against Crime funding bid to support the agreed work on tackling property crime in the area. The bid has passed the first stage and we are now waiting for a response from the Community Development Foundation and the Home Office to see if we are successful. In discussion with Cllr Billard if we are not successful with this bid we will pursue other avenues to see whether the money can be raised elsewhere.
I would like to point out that this is the first time that West Marsh Forward has put in a bid for more than £5000.00 in any financial year and if we are successful will mean that West Marsh Forward will need to seek Charity Status.
In terms of general community development there has been an increase in the number of Neighbourhood Watch groups in the Ward although some of them need more support to become fully operational.
Shortly after the meeting next month we will hold another meeting to finalise the Community Panel which will be put forward to guide the expenditure of the Communities First monies. If anyone knows of a likely candidate for the panel please let me know. We are looking for people from any background who have the interests of the community at heart. Please let me know.
The Fair Share Panel met at the beginning of December and the remainder of the money for community publications was allocated to CPO Media whose plan was accepted by the panel.
Just to confuse matters Jez O'Kane and myself have been working with people from The Fare Share Charity who are involved with the Goodwin Trust in Hull distributing food that is perfectly ok but would otherwise go to landfill. This food is to support community groups which are involved in feeding deprived and vulnerable groups in the community and to support community centres who offer food services to the wider community. I will post more information in the New Year when we have our first meeting of interested organisations.
Recently Matt Cridge from the Local Strategic Partnership has been working with myself and others to look at the West Marsh Ward becoming a pilot for community based budgetting. Again we will know the results of this in the New Year.
As a result of all of the above we are now in a position using Ward Councillor support to consider putting larger bids in to funding pots as they become available. The only qualification on this is that the bids will need long term community commitment and we need to talk seriously about how this will work.
That's all for now have a good Christmas and a brilliant New Year.

Christmas Update

There has been a lot going on on the West Marsh over the last couple of months. We have supported a variety of initiatives through the Fair Share Youth Fund and the Councillors ward funding including young people's initiatives at John Whitgift Academy and Christmas parties for the elderly at the MAAG Hall.
After meetings with the Executive of West Marsh Forward we have now arrived at a better picture of all the things going on in the Ward but we still need to complete the process and decide what should be in the West Marsh Community Plan for the long term.
Here is the latest draft of the Community Plan

	[02/11/2011
West Marsh Community Plan Draft for Discussion
			John Mooney West Marsh Community Development Worker

Context:

The West Marsh Ward is one of the 15 wards of North East Lincolnshire a Unitary Authority which is made up of the Towns of Grimsby, Immingham and Cleethorpes and the villages which make up the Wolds Parishes.

Whilst the most recent total population estimate for the Ward is nearly 8000 people the following research is based on what Government Departments refer to as the Lower Super Output Areas (LSOAs) contained in the Ward and this means the most deprived areas of the West Marsh.

“The population of the LSOAs that are almost equivalent to the West Marsh study

area was just over 3,000, according to the 2006 mid-year estimate. Almost twothirds

(64 per cent) were of working age and 23 per cent were less than 16 years old.

34

The area has a relatively small older population (13 per cent of the population,

compared to 20 per cent in North East Lincolnshire and 19 per cent in England).

According to the 2001 Census, a relatively small proportion of households are

couples, with or without children (46 per cent, compared to 57 per cent in the district

and 57 per cent across England). 17 per cent of households are lone parent

families, compared to 12 per cent in the district and 10 per cent in England.

The area falls within the most deprived decile of lower super output areas in

England. The area is placed in the lowest decile in relation to, education skills and

training, crime and the living environment on the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD).

It is in the second lowest decile in terms of income, employment and health. In

February 2008, 15.7 per cent of the working age population were in receipt of JSA or

IB/SDA, compared to 11.1 per cent of people of working age in North Lincolnshire and 9.0 per cent in England.

The neighbourhood, like the wider district, is ethnically homogenous. According to

the 2001 Census, 98 per cent of the population of the neighbourhood and the district

were White British or Irish, one per cent were White Other and one per cent were

Mixed Heritage. The study team did come across anecdotal evidence that migrant

workers from the EU accession states had arrived into Grimsby in recent years, with

some people settling in West Marsh, although the scale of new immigration isunclear.

Terraced housing is the dominant built form in the neighbourhood. Many of these

properties have no garden or curtilage at the front, the front door opening straight

onto the street. A relatively large proportion of the housing stock is privately rented

(20 per cent, double the district and national average), while the proportion in the

owner occupied sector (64 per cent) is below the proportion in North East

Lincolnshire (72 per cent) and England (69 per cent).”

(Source: Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research Six Neighbourhoods: Contexts, Contrasts and Histories September 2010)

This then, along with the graph below (fig. 1), is the Needs Picture of the Ward what the plan will attempt to do is show where the assets of the ward are and the activities the community is involved in which have and will make a lasting positive contribution to the West Marsh.

This plan then will give an overview of where the residents and workers in the West Marsh are effectively working together to deal with the problems they face and to clearly show those community initiatives as the bedrock of any plan to change the community for the better.

This means that when any of the main statutory bodies responsible for service delivery in the Ward are looking to intervene with the problems on the Ward they will be expected by the community to consider the detail of this plan to help find the best way they can help the community by using the assets in the community as their starting point.

 

Fig.1

Housing and Environment

What do we want our Ward to look like?

The obvious answer to that question is that the community wants to see a well maintained residential area to match the main business

Housing Issues

The Ward divides into two main areas which are divided by the River Freshney. In all parts of the Ward however there is a negative effect caused by:

1.  Short term tenancies and a lack of proper responsibility shown by some landlords.
2. Void housing which is targeted by criminals.
3. Lowest property values in the UK.
4. Transient population causing social cohesion problems.
5. Problem Families who cause difficulties for other residents.

Community Response:

The West Marsh Forward alongside other established Community Groups in the Ward are, along with their Ward Councillors and Community Development worker, looking at the potential for community ownership of currently void housing in order to reduce the problems and to generate community income. The better upkeep of housing in the area should also see an increase in the desirability of the West Marsh as a place to live.

With regard to problem families members of the West Marsh Forward are intending to work alongside the Multi Agency Locality Teams to see how the community can support the work being delivered by professionals using the Common Assessment Framework process as a way of highlighting need.

The staff and volunteers in the local Community Centres are also keen that professional agencies use, support and help to develop the community assets which are already there which include:

1. Access to positive activities for young people.
2. Access to positive activities for older people.
3. Access to cultural and leisure activities for the whole community.
4. Community based training space.

 

 

Parks and Open Spaces

This area of community concern has a variety of positive initiatives already underway, there are however some real ongoing problems in terms of the effective partnership working between community groups and service providers. This has led to protracted arguments between community group members and various authorities about the solutions to the following long term problems:

1. Lack of thorough maintenance of the main local park.
2. A perceived lack of fairness in the amount of physical and human resource deployed in the main park compared with other parks in North East Lincolnshire.
3. Lack of maintenance of the River Freshney and Riparian land as it runs through the Ward.
4. The waste land in the Ward and particularly on the site of the old Macaulay Street tip.

Community Response:

The community has several groups which are involved in the upkeep and positive use of the amenity space in the area including:

1. Friends of the Freshney whose main concern has been the upkeep and development of the main park and dealing with the authorities responsible for keeping the River Freshney in good heart. Also working with other partners to raise and gain funding for the development of the park.
2. Two Allotment groups.
3. The formation of a new partnership with residents of all the wards that the River Freshney runs through.
4. A gardening group based at the West Marsh Community Centre who are involved with the local In Bloom initiative.
5. The West Marsh Community Centre Community Garden.
6. Sports groups using the park and WMCC engaging with local young people, giving rise to positive activities and a greater connection to place.

Street Scene

There are a number of issues around the general street scene on the West Marsh which residents have been unhappy with for a long time, these include:

1. Fly Tipping.
2. Dog Fouling.
3. Poor maintenance of Paths, Roads, Kerbs and Street Lighting.
4. Parking and traffic management problems.

Community Response:

The issues around the street scene are seen locally as the responsibility of the local authority through their agents to sort out as the necessary permissions for taking community action are very difficult to get. So active community members from the West Marsh Forward and local community groups, along with their elected representatives, have been very vocal about the need to solve these issues and continue to pursue them.

Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour

How do we want our neighbours and visitors to be?

The whole basis of the Community Plan is to establish a way of living on the Ward which values all of our community members whilst insisting on mutual respect and care for others within the community. This means all community members understand their rights and responsibilities as members of this community.

Anti-Social Behaviour

These are the ASB and Hate Crime figures for the West Marsh Ward over August, September and October 2011

Hate Crime/Incidents	4	4	2
ASB	61	28	42

This gives a strong indication that there is a real problem for the community in dealing with these issues. It is also worth noting that anecdotally it is often stated that residents do not report all incidents because they “… don’t think it’s worth it” on further investigation this has to do with a perception of police response times and follow up of incidents. This means that there may well be a good deal more unreported incidents which the police statistics don’t reflect.

The anti-social behaviour issues for the community include:

1. Behaviour linked to substance abuse.
2. Children beyond the care and control of their parents.
3. Bad neighbours.

Community Response:

As previously stated there is a lot of activity in the community via the community centres and the amenity space in the ward area which provides positive activity for young people this includes:

1. Sporting activities on the park and at community centres.
2. Dance and Art activities at community centres.
3. The formation of a new angling group part of whose remit is to engage young people in the responsible use of the river and to be involved in its upkeep.
4. Provision of training space for young parents.

It should also be noted that the West Marsh Forward works alongside the Police and Community Pride to set priorities in targeting the outbreaks of anti-social behaviour when they occur.

Crime

These are the reported crime figures for the West Marsh Ward for August, September and October 2011

West Marsh (AA4) with Top Town Area removed
	August	September	October
Burglary - Dwelling	17	10	7
Burglary - Other	13	5	4
Criminal Damage	43	35	28
Drug Offences	4	4	5
Fraud and Forgery	2	1	9
Robbery	0	2	2
Sexual Offences	3	0	1
Theft & Handling	51	51	41
Theft from Motor Vehicle	7	4	7
Theft of Motor Vehicle	2	1	3
Violence Against the Person	20	31	18
Other crime	5	1	4
All Offences	167	145	129

It should be noted that the crime figures shown here are only for the residential and industrial area of the Ward and if we add the figures for the town centre the totals are as follows

West Marsh (AA4)
	August	September	October
Burglary - Dwelling	17	10	7
Burglary - Other	14	7	8
Criminal Damage	60	50	35
Drug Offences	5	4	6
Fraud and Forgery	4	1	13
Robbery	1	2	2
Sexual Offences	3	1	3
Theft & Handling	115	107	112
Theft from Motor Vehicle	9	7	8
Theft of Motor Vehicle	2	1	3
Violence Against the Person	25	45	28
Other crime	14	4	10
All Offences	269	239	235

As the latter figures are the ones quoted to Central Government then anyone looking at the West Marsh crime figures is given a false impression as to what it is like to live on the West Marsh Ward.

That being said the adjusted figures still show a high level of criminal activity in the area, with the West Marsh suffering from some of the highest levels of criminal behaviour in North East Lincolnshire. This has led to high levels of apathy in some areas as to what can be done.

Community Response:

There are a number of developments on the ward which will help with short and long term issues which include:

1. WMCC directly involved with Community Payback Scheme using offenders to undertake work at the Community Centre and in the wider area.
2. Friends of the Freshney have engaged effectively with a number of volunteers to engage young people in positive activity on the main park.
3. WMCC continue to support youth led groups around sport dance and art.
4. Community Development workers are working alongside the local Youth Work team to look at opportunities for future engagement of young people in the West Marsh.
5. West Marsh Forward work in partnership with the local policing team to increase effective use of police time and to discuss the development of positive initiatives on the ward.
6. Ward Councillors are currently looking at an innovative scheme to use a void building to provide a community response and advice centre around crime.

Health Inequality

How will we work towards a healthier community whose residents enjoy a long, happy and healthy life?

At the present moment the Community Development worker and one of the Ward Councillors are directly involved with the development of an Asset Based Approach alongside the GP Commissioning body, the Local Authority and the LSP for the West Marsh to become an area for development focussing on community based initiatives and the need for a safe, strong, connected and well educated community. This is because the evidence supporting those initiatives which impact most effectively on health inequalities are those which look at an area like the West Marsh as a place where positive things can happen if the community are brought in to the process. This marks the beginning of a new phase in partnership work which will provide an effective way of working on the West Marsh and a blueprint for other areas of North East Lincolnshire.

Community Response:

For a long time now all four of the Community Centres have provided social and advice services for the elderly and infirm in the Ward. The community centres have also been used as focal points for community education in a wide range of areas including health and well-being. As has been previously mentioned the community groups in the area have supported initiatives which involve young people in positive activities. In terms of direct work with health issues community involvement includes:

1. Older Peoples Collaborative
2. Cancer Collaborative
3. Youth Group Working on Anti-Smoking and Anti-Binge drinking campaign.
4. Luncheon Groups.
5. Sports and Leisure Activities
6. Social Events

As well as the organised groups we should also say that there is a great deal of informal support through friends and neighbours.

Education

If the educational attainment of our children is the single most important factor in their future success and prosperity how do we help ensure that as many as possible do well?

There is a real recognition in the community that there is a transitional problem for many of the children on the West Marsh in that their progress at primary School, for a significant proportion, is not followed through in their Secondary School career. It is recognised that amongst a significant number of families with children there is a culture of disregarding the benefits of education and a low level of aspiration and expectation that children should do well.

It is also understood in the community that there is a real difficulty for schools to establish a real sense of engagement with a proportion of families and as a result children from those families present a real and continuing management problem for teaching staff within the schools.

Community Response:

1. All of the Youth based initiatives being undertaken by the Community Centres and community groups within the Ward and in conjunction with LA Youth initiatives in youth centres.
2. Training opportunities provided by Community Centres in cooperation with schools, colleges, LA, health providers and the wider vol/com groups.
3. Local residents taking school governor roles to influence and add to teaching and engagement strategies.
4. The Forward group is directing a proportion of ward funding and other local funding pots to support ongoing and new initiatives for young people.  This is seen as especially important when the initiative is taken by young people themselves.

There is a gap in this process in terms of direct community engagement with schools and other places of learning outside of governorship.

Employment

What sort of opportunities for work and earning capacity do we want for the people who live on the West Marsh?

The current economic position has hit the West Marsh hard and there are many people facing reduced hours and redundancy. There is hope in that there are big plans locally to become a centre for the Renewable Energy Industry and there are still vacancies locally which require skill levels that many local people don’t possess. This issue therefore links to the previous one in many ways and only by resolving the education issue is the long term employment problem going to be addressed.

 Community Response:

1. Training opportunities being offered through Community Centres and the wider partnership.
2. Sporting and social activities embedding a sense of belonging and community cohesion. This also builds the essential soft skills that employers look for in trainees and apprentices.
3. Supporting wider partnership strategies to supply the unemployed with meaningful training and work experience.
4. Increasing the number of volunteer opportunities to help bolster the work experience process and increase people’s sense of being a stakeholder in their community.

In light of the above the Forward and others in the Community need to look at the community initiatives which are having the biggest impact on the issues outlined above so that we are aware of what we would invest in using the Communities First Funding.

The Forward then needs to address what it feels the gaps are in local provision and look at how it might help fill those gaps.

So as a forward member,  a resident or someone who has the best interests of the West Marsh at heart list those things which you think are worth supporting that currently happen and when you have done that list the things that need, in your opinion, to be done in order to make progress.

I would like to take this opportunity to encourage all community members to contribute.