Community Priorities

1. Community Priorities Feedback Presentation to West Handsworth Neighbourhood Forum 11 July 2012

3. WHNF- Strengths & assets • Location & People – City Centre, Achievers • Community Action - Established Community and Resident Groups • Greenbelt - Access to Sandwell Valley and Hill Top with WW2 gun emplacements • Excellent Facilities - Camp Lane Industrial Estate, Community Fire Station, Oaklands Centre, Laurel Road Sports Centre, St John Wall School, Friary Allotments.

4. WHNF - Concerns & Issues • Community Safety (ASB behind Sandwell Road shops, street drinking, burglaries and fear of crime, drugs on Cranbrook alleyways, poor Police response, speeding cars) • Environment (fly tipping, mess left behind after rubbish collections, litter, planning failure – retail & housing) • Community (cohesion - need to integrate new migrants, 2011 disturbances; assets/facilities – loss Hawthorn House Library, Neighbourhood Office).

5. WHNF - Projects & Priorities • Support Elderly (Safety, income maximisation and activities, organise transport to meetings) • Make better use of existing facilities and engage young people • Revamp Neighbourhood & Street Watch • Improve communications (newsletter, Blog) • Tackle ASB (street drinking, noisy neighbours, litter, loitering) • Empty public bins more frequently.

6. Ward Focus Group - Priorities • Community Safety (Ensure visible and effective policing, Revamp Street/Neighbourhood Watch and connect with Neighbourhood Forum/s and Neighbourhood Task Group/s, Empower young people to lead safer, cleaner, greener works. • Environment (use community payback on cleaner, greener, safer work, improve street lighting around public spaces, Tackle traffic management hotspots, bring back into use derelict and vacant spaces and gate or assign ownership, task urban designers to solve grass verge/parking tensions, make better use of greenbelt).

7. Ward Focus Group - Priorities • Economic Impact (Create a Community Hub for new starts & micro businesses, launch a hard hitting jobs and business support programme, Apply Mary Portas approach to local shopping centres), • Community (launch a robust integration programme for new migrants, launch a groundbreaking community resilience programme, launch a dynamic website to replace lost Neighbourhood Office & library, develop Neighbourhood Forum capacity to act as a community development trust, Pressure GPs and Hospitals to reduce appointment and waiting times, Make better use of facilities and create a sense of community with Annual Summer Festival and Achievement Awards).

8. Ward Focus Group - Priorities • Governance (Council should focus its resources on building local community resilience and sustainability, Councillors and Officers must become more visible and offer real strategic and operational leadership, Hold an Annual Ward Conference) • Communication (Upgrade & distribute Newsletter, Develop and maintain Social Media channels, Initiate new ways to engage and involve residents (e.g., virtual ward meetings and Councillor surgeries)

9. Street Survey - Priorities • Community safety (tackle speeding, increase and improve policing) • Environment (improve lighting, fill potholes, maintain trees, remove rubbish and litter, clear and gate alleyways) • Community (restore civic pride, improve usage of facilities for young people and elderly, provide Information, advice and guidance post library and neighbourhood office closure)

10. Public Survey – Priorities • Enforce the law on Crime and Anti Social Behaviour – street drinking, drug dealing, litter dropping, dog fouling, develop derelict land and properties • Provide information, advice and guidance/ training for new migrants to enable their integration • Integrate planning to maximise job opportunities for local people • Reinstate play areas and ensure they’re within walking distance • Require agency staff to get out of their cars and offices and onto bikes and public transport.

11. Trader Survey - Priorities • Improve the local shopping centre experience (better lighting, more bins cleared more regularly, manhole covers replaced, improved paving, cleared alleyways, CCTV to deter anti social behaviour and theft) • Promote local shopping centres through branding, advertising, signage and loyalty schemes • Integrated Agency action (e.g., schools and police) to discharge their duty of care to encourage people using local facilities to be more community conscious and to deal with their litter and noise. 

12. Recommendations • The Ward Committee to deliver an Annual Ward Conference • The Ward Committee to commission a Project to Capacity Build the Forums and to Capacity Build at least 10 Community-led TSOs operating in the Ward • The Ward Committee to review existing community engagement and involvement arrangements with a view to improving civic engagement • The Ward Committee to support the production of a Newsletter for Ward wide distribution synchronised with a Blog & Podcasts to improve communication • The Ward Committee support the development of a Community Hub at suitable location – Pavillion or Laurel Road

13. Recommendations • The Ward Committee to commission a project to establish a ward focused Development Agency • The Ward Committee to commission a project to secure funding for, and to deliver, a FutureLeaders Programme • The Ward Committee to commission work to develop costed proposals for better public space and facilities utilisation • The Council and its strategic partners consider the range of community identified projects and priorities as part of their planning and implementation arrangements.