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Resource Housing Reg. No. 2111
Great Homes Great Neighbourhoods Great People
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Your GREAT Neighbourhood Plan ashton-under-Lyne
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Your Great Neighbourhood Plan aksa Homes, part of the New Charter Housing trust Group, aims to provide ‘Great Homes, Great Neighbourhoods, Great People’ by placing customers at the heart of everything it does. We are committed to tackling inequality whilst promoting and strengthening communities in the areas where you live. We would like everyone to work together to improve and shape our performance and the standard of services that we deliver.
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To do this we have developed a neighbourhood plan for each of our new neighbourhoods. This one is yours. This plan identifies the main issues that affect your neighbourhood and what we need to do to address them. Customers and partners have been involved in putting this neighbourhood plan together and they will be helping to monitor its progress every step of the way. The plan will run for three years and will be reviewed annually.
Customers and partners have been involved in putting this neighbourhood plan together.
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Great place to live... The Holy Trinity and West End neighbourhoods are to the west of Ashton-underLyne town centre.These neighbourhoods have a good mix of owner occupied, private and social housing, with a number of landlords. Both areas have seen improvement and change in recent years. Aksa Homes has a total of 37 homes in Ashtonunder-Lyne, of which 15 are in the Holy Trinity area and 22 in the West End area. Both neighbourhoods are made up of two, three, four and five bed homes with gardens. In the West End area, the houses are adjacent to Stockport Road.The centre of the neighbourhood is Trafalgar Square. On the north side of Stockport Road, the streets are Trafalgar Street, Fitzroy Street, Cambridge Street and Hamilton Street. On the south side of Stockport Road, the homes are in a listed building called the Twelve Apostles.
Our homes in Holy Trinity are situated mainly in Uxbridge Street, with another three in Portland Street.These are built and designed as ‘lifetime homes’, with ground floor bathing facilities. Both neighbourhoods have good transport links to Ashton-under-Lyne town centre, Hyde Road and the whole motorway network. Ashton-under-Lyne has a main bus terminal and railway station with excellent transport links to all local towns and major UK cities. The new Metrolink will make access to the city even easier. Guide Bridge railway station is also nearby.
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Down your street Here is a map and list of streets in your neighbourhood to give you an idea of exactly where your plan covers.
Ashton-under-Lyne
What do we know about our homes and tenants in this area? We have identified a range of indicators that tell us about your neighbourhood, these indicators are designed to tell us how much support we need to give a neighbourhood and what specific areas are causing the most problems so we can target services and resources to improve them.
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We are using a simple rating of 5, 4, or 3 stars; 5 stars being the best rating. This is to help you see how your neighbourhood is performing in different areas. Each individual indicator we have used has its own star rating.
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Burlington Street
Portland Street
Cambridge Street
Trafalgar Square
Fitzroy Street
Trafalgar Street
Hamilton Street
Uxbridge Street
Kenyon Street
% of current arrears
average number of repairs
The neighbourhood has some areas where rent arrears are a problem which means some households may be experiencing money management issues or difficulties adapting to welfare reform. This shows that some households may need additional support.
The average cost of repairs per property is significant and shows that many homes have issues in terms of maintenance costs and the need for regular repairs. Property damage is also an issue within the neighbourhood.
average time to re-let a property Generally our homes are let quickly.We had a limited number of empty homes become available. Some properties may take longer to re-let if lots of repairs are needed.
tenancy turnover On average people who move into the neighbourhood tend to stay in their homes for a relatively long period of time. This shows that people are happy in their area.
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% of ongoing anti-social behaviour cases The neighbourhood has a low level of anti-social behaviour or neighbour nuisance cases.This shows that other than an occasional incident, Aksa residents treat each other with respect.
The neighbourhood has some problems with employment levels.This shows that some people in the area are having difficulty getting into work and may not be well qualified for the jobs that are available.
Neighbourhood satisfaction
Household income
People’s general satisfaction with the neighbourhood as a place to live is good but there are some things that could be improved.
The neighbourhood has quite low levels of family income compared with regional averages.This shows that a large number of families are deprived and have difficulty in managing their money.
Crime The neighbourhood has moderate levels of crime compared to the other Aksa neighbourhoods. Although levels of crime are not high, people do not always feel safe in their neighbourhood.
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employment
access to services Residents have good access to a range of shops and services and support on a range of issues is easy to find in the neighbourhood.
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33% of our tenants in this neighbourhood have six or more people living in their household.
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Local knowledge: What we know about your neighbourhood the indicators we use at aksa point us in the right direction but we are really keen to hear from you. So, we conducted a questionnaire and managed to talk to the majority of our tenants in their own homes. We also talked about specific issues with groups of tenant representatives and used focus groups to look at areas of our service, for instance, repairs and maintenance.
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What our team at aksa told us The appearance of both areas is generally good, however, there are some issues around fly-tipping and litter. There are some issues with noise, anti-social behaviour and pet or pest control. The New Charter area office and Sure Start centre provide a good resource for drop-in services and community activities for lots of people. Untidy gardens both front and back to some homes. The neighbourhood is generally felt to be safe and secure. Rubbish removal and recycling could be improved. Community activities need to be communicated better.
The Aksa team works well with local Tenant Panel representatives to develop awareness and promote customer feedback on priorities.
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What you told us On average the people we spoke to rate the neighbourhood 7 out of 10 as a place to live. While people are positive about the area, there are still some issues that residents think need to be looked at to improve quality of life. Some of the best features identified about living in the neighbourhood were: access to doctors, chemists and shops, property condition and public transport. The issues to improve are: quality of local facilities, local schools and feeling safe in the neighbourhood. People raised specific issues about: Levels of vandalism Poor estate cleanliness Improvement required for access to employment and advice Improvement of green spaces is needed Improve pathways to adult education and training
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73% of our tenants in Ashton-under-Lyne would like to stay in the neighbourhood.
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What other organisations told us Crime is an issue in some parts of the neighbourhood with low level anti-social behaviour from youths gathering in communal areas and street corners. Also the misuse of drugs and alcohol are seen to have a negative impact on the area.
There are some health issues in the neighbourhood, particularly in terms of higher death and disability rates with links to coronary health and unhealthy lifestyles. Provision of the right kind of services for young families remains a priority.
Levels of unemployment are higher in this neighbourhood than in Tameside generally. Many tenants have difficulty accessing training and employment with language barriers for some people.
Access to facilities are generally seen as good in the neighbourhood. For example; early years from children’s services from Sure Start and other community partnerships.
There is a high number of households on low income and benefits. Agencies expressed concern about the impact the Government's welfare reform is having within this particular area.This is made worse by the potential for residents to be victims of loan sharks and high street credit companies.
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What we saw together Poor appearance and untidy front and rear gardens Rubbish and refuse bags left on streets
Enough parking for several vehicles Evidence of vandalism
Some specific areas have significant litter issues
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What do we need to do to make this a greater place? the aim of this section is to identify the activities needed to improve the quality of life in the neighbourhood based on what we have established and what you have told us. It is effectively an action plan which shows us what needs to be done in more detail.
Neighbourhood management
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What?
Why?
When?
Review tenancy conditions and introduce more effective action for those in breach of their tenancy, including anti-social behaviour, noise nuisance, control of pets, unkempt gardens.
Improve quality of life for residents and appearance of neighbourhood.
November 2013
Increase tenancy and neighbourhood enforcement on activities that affect quality of life such as noise nuisance.
To reduce levels of anti-social behaviour and increase security for residents.
December 2013
Review how we let our properties.
To ensure that homes are let to those people/families in most need whilst placing greater emphasis on community contributions.
August 2013
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What?
Why?
When?
Aksa continues to promote quarterly estate inspections and encourage greater tenant involvement to help with this.
Greater involvement from residents to ensure issues of concern are addressed.
July 2013
Work in partnership with the police and other agencies to target areas identified as ‘hot spots’ for anti-social behaviour.
To reduce anti-social behaviour and increase the feeling of security for residents.
November 2013
Establish a home and street watch scheme and develop street representatives.
To increase the levels of surveillance in the neighbourhood and create a sense of security.
October 2013
Work in partnership with the Group’s in-house Tenancy Enforcement Team and develop a long term strategy to enforcement action and support.
To effectively manage anti-social behaviour complaints and ensure effective housing management service.
January 2014
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You and your family
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What?
Why?
When?
Hold regular housing advice drop-in sessions.
To offer a face-to-face service in the neighbourhood to help deal with issues locally.
July 2013
Look at possible garden tool hire service and gardening club.
To increase access to advice and equipment to maintain gardens.
February 2014
Introduce low cost garden service carried out by Green Charter for tenants.
For those who require an extra helping hand to look after their gardens.
September 2013
Develop a programme that offers tenants the opportunity to learn practical skills on budgeting, for example, cooking healthy meals on a budget.
To provide more practical help for customers in managing money.
November 2013
Refer customers who may benefit from additional support in debt advice and money management via our Citizens Advice Service Scheme.
To increase awareness of help and support to reduce debt and/or financial problems.
July 2013
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What?
Why?
When?
Start our ‘Stepping into work’ employment programme and set up a work club in the neighbourhood.
To provide help, support and guidance to residents with training opportunities and finding work.
October 2013
Work with partners and local college to improve sign posting to education services.
To promote training and adult education.
February 2014
We aim to... increase awareness of help and support to reduce debt and/or financial problems.
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Home
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What?
Why?
When?
Develop a programme of works identified to improve the appearance of the front of houses.
To improve the overall appearance of homes.
February 2014
Develop a planting scheme for trees and shrubs in communal areas.
To encourage pride in the area and appearance of the neighbourhood.
March 2014
Publish planned maintenance programmes for 2014.
To improve the standard of homes and ensure when and what improvements are planned.
April 2014
Great Homes events to be held to promote the repairs and maintenance service.
To monitor repairs and maintenance service and levels of satisfaction.
April 2014
Carry out an audit on recycling with Tameside waste.
To ensure adequate provision for disposal of household waste
October 2013
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What?
Why?
When?
Carry out a review of people living in our homes and help people move to smaller properties.
To ensure better use of homes and support residents who may be affected by the ‘bedroom tax’.
August 2013
Monitor Green Charter in-house grounds maintenance service and encourage tenants to get involved.
To ensure the service delivers to a high standard and customer feedback is encouraged.
October 2013
To ensure adequate provision for disposal of household waste.
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Community involvement
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What?
Why?
When?
Develop and work with residents' groups to provide support and address local concerns.
Obtain feedback on specific services and other community issues to work with community groups.
January 2014
Develop a network of 'Community Champions' to lead on green recycling and waste disposal projects.
To promote recycling and to ensure correct disposal of household waste.
February 2014
Work with partner organisations to identify family support networks for those with young families.
To improve the quality of support services for young family households.
October 2013
Introduce a youth group to offer diversionary activities, where young people help other residents to develop services.
To build upon community collaborations, increasing respect and inter-generational links.
December 2013
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What?
Why?
When?
Develop a training programme to offer support in accessing services/benefits on line.
To prepare and support residents to access online services and advice.
November 2013
Establish community activities and leisure facilities in the area.
To raise awareness of services and communal activities to promote take up of these services.
December 2013
Set up a neighbourhood Service Improvement Group to provide a system for bringing customer views to staff.
Consult with customers on the identification of locally agreed service standards – the Aksa standards.
January 2014
We aim to... raise awareness of services and communal activities to promote take up of these services.
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What next? A great start! aksa Homes is making a start on the different issues outlined in your Neighbourhood Plan. Our partner, New Charter Housing trust Group, is also involved in helping improve your area. Some work has already started but we will be reviewing the plans regularly through the year so keep an eye out for updates. In your great neighbourhood plan, as well as in our other five Aksa Homes neighbourhoods, we would like to mark the start of a new phase of activities aimed at ensuring that all our neighbourhoods are great places to live. In the meantime, if you have any comments or suggestions or would like to get involved in helping us to achieve change in your neighbourhood then please contact us.You can do this by ringing 0161 620 2992 or contacting us via your preferred method.
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Neighbourhood fact file Here are some facts and figures about the people and homes that make up your neighbourhood.
age profile of our residents 0-15
33.7%
16-20
12.8%
Ages of our residents living in Ashton-under-Lyne
60 & over
2.3%
21-59
51.2%
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Number of properties owned by aksa Homes =
37
Properties by type Houses
37
ethnicity of our residents
Bangladeshi
11.6%
White
20.9% Other 2.4%
Pakistani
Ethnicity of our residents living in Ashton-under-Lyne
65.1%
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Final thoughts We hope the actions outlined in your great neighbourhood plan will make a great difference to you, your family and neighbours. You have told us what matters most to you to improve the appearance of your neighbourhood and your quality of life. We believe that the key to success will be to continue to work together with you to achieve this.
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Contact us aksa OfďŹ ce (Connect) 0161 620 2992
info@aksahomes.co.uk
anti-social behaviour hotline: 0800 027 0522 24 hours a day
facebook.com/aksahomes
aksa Office:
Aksa Homes Aksa House 2 Medtia Square Phoenix Street Oldham OL1 1AN
www.aksahomes.co.uk @AksaHomes
Head Office:
New Charter Group Cavendish 249 Cavendish Street Ashton-under-Lyne OL6 7AT
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