Your GREAT Neighbourhood Charter Heys Road
Your GREAT Neighbourhood Charter
At New Charter we would like all our neighbourhoods to be great places to live. We would like them to look great, have great services, feel safe and be a place for both work and recreation.
for three years and will be reviewed annually with residents to assess our progress.
It identifies the main issues that affect your neighbourhood and what needs to be done both by us and our partner organisations to To create great communities we address them. We want to focus all would like everyone to work our efforts on making sure you have together to decide how their local neighbourhood should develop and a great place to live so we will be working just as hard with a range of grow in the future and to improve other organisations on some of the on the services they don’t like and wider issues such as employment maintain those that they do. and crime. To make sure this happens we Remember, you are the experts in have produced a neighbourhood what it’s like to live in your plan for each of New Charter’s 32 newly defined neighbourhoods and neighbourhood and you will be our most important partner of all. this one is yours. The plan will run 02
You are the experts in what it’s like to live in your neighbourhood and you will be our most important partner of all.
GREAT place to live... The area covered by the Heys Road neighbourhood is widespread, fragmented and varied; comprising of a broad range of housing types which includes flats and various sized family housing. There is also a block of apartments with secure parking; built ten years ago situated close to the town centre and memorial gardens.When viewed on the map the whole neighbourhood is defined by an arc from Ashton Sixth Form College to the borders of Stalybridge and Stamford Park and cut through by Mossley Road and Stamford Street.A substantial number of the original social housing stock has been sold through the Right to Buy and Right to Acquire schemes and the area is now regarded as desirable place to live. The town centre can be reached within a 15 minute walk from most areas of the neighbourhood and there are good public transport
links provided by a number of bus routes.These will eventually link up with the new Metrolink currently under development; which will link Ashton to Manchester city centre in minutes. Locally there are a number of shops and a new recently opened larger supermarket within easy walking distance for sections of the neighbourhood. The area is generally attractive and well maintained with a number of local primary schools within a reasonable distance or within the boundaries of the neighbourhood. There are two parks close by; King GeorgeV Playing Fields and Stanford Park which has recently benefited from a multimillion pound investment.The area is mostly residential, however there are three large buildings; Tameside General Hospital,Ashton Sixth Form College andTameside College which generate a large volume of traffic and activity.
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Down your street Here is a map and a list of streets included in your neighbourhood to give you an idea of exactly where your plan covers.
Hazelhurst
Hillgate, Hilton and Ladbrooke
Heys Road
Does your neighbourhood have star quality? We have identified a range of indicators that tell us overall how great your neighbourhood is. These indicators are designed to tell us how much support we need to give a neighbourhood and what specific areas seem to be causing the most problems so that we can target services and resources to improve them. 04
We are using a simple rating of 5, 4 or 3 stars; 5 stars being the best rating, so you can see easily how individual sections within your neighbourhood are performing. Each individual indicator we have used has its own star rating which when combined together produce an overall star rating for your neighbourhood.
The indicators range from the time taken to relet houses to employment and education. You can see them all below with an explanation of what the ratings mean for your neighbourhood.
Bank Top
Clinton Street
Grenville Terrace
Shaw Street
Beaufort Road
Cobden Street
Heys Road
Beaumont Street
County Avenue
Hutton Avenue
The Mount, Caroline Street
Botany Lane
Cowhill Lane
Lennox Street
Bowman Crescent
Derby Road
Lord Street
Brassey Street
Fountain Street
Montague Road
Chesterfield Grove
Gordon Street
Neal Avenue
Wellington Court, Adam Street Wigmore Street Witham Street
% of current rent 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 and may be at risk of losing their homes. It also indicates some people may need additional support.
The average number of repairs per property is quite high and indicates that properties do have some issues in terms of maintenance costs and the need to regularly replace components. Property damage is also an issue in some homes.
Average time to relet a property The time it takes to relet a property is generally good across the neighbourhood indicating that properties are generally popular and people who are eligible can move into their new home relatively quickly.
Tenancy turnover This shows that on average people who move into the neighbourhood tend to stay in their homes for a relatively long period of time.This indicates that people are happy living in the neighbourhood and it is a place they want to stay.
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% of live antisocial behaviour cases The neighbourhood has a low level of antisocial behaviour or neighbour nuisance cases.This indicates that except for the occasional incident New Charter residents treat each other with respect and behaviour within the community is relatively good. Neighbourhood satisfaction People’s general satisfaction with the neighbourhood as a place to live is good but there are some factors that spoil their experience and affect their enjoyment of the area. Crime People in the neighbourhood experience relatively low levels of crime and vandalism in relation to similar neighbourhoods in Tameside.Whilst not perfect, this does mean that people overall are likely to feel relatively safe and secure living in and walking around the neighbourhood. Health The neighbourhood has some issues with peoples health and disability levels compared with similar neighbourhoods in Tameside.This could indicate that more people than usual may have mobility problems of one sort or another, need some long term medical support in their homes and perhaps feel quite isolated.
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Employment The neighbourhood has significant problems with employment levels compared with similar neighbourhoods in Tameside.This indicates that many people in the neighbourhood are having difficulty accessing the jobs market and a significant number may not be well qualified for the jobs that are available. Education and skills The neighbourhood has relatively good levels of educational attainment and skills.This also indicates that people can access the training they may need to help them gain employment or develop their existing career prospects. Household income The neighbourhood has quite low levels of family income compared with similar neighbourhoods in Tameside.This indicates that a significant number of families may suffer the effects of deprivation and have difficulty in making ends meet. Access to services People in the neighbourhood have access to some shops and services from near to their homes.This indicates that it can be difficult to shop for more than essentials or access a good range of advice or support in or close to the neighbourhood itself.
Neighbourhood overall star rating Overall the neighbourhood is a popular place to live offering people a good quality of life and access to good services and facilities.The main aim for this neighbourhood is identifying the right activities, services and initiatives that will help it remain like this and deal with any issues that do arise quickly.
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Local knowledge: Auditing your neighbourhood Whilst the indicators show us useful trends and point us in the right direction we need more local knowledge to identify some of the specific issues we need to address. To gather this information we have conducted a neighbourhood audit asking the people who live and work here to identify what they think the issues were.
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What our Neighbourhood team told us There are very few neighbour nuisance issues in the neighbourhood.There are some occasional noise or inconsiderate behaviour related issues. Properties in the neighbourhood are very easy to let and people tend to remain in the neighbourhood for a long time with a low turnover of new tenants. The appearance of the neighbourhood is generally very good although there are some environmental issues in relation to some open areas that are overgrown and subject to fly tipping.The garage site near Moseley Road is also in poor condition. The neighbourhood is quite widespread which makes it harder to manage. It also means that there is little immediate access to services for many residents who do not have access to their own transport. There is no established tenants and residents group and no regular contact generally with residents on neighbourhood issues.
The Primary Health Care facility does provide good walk in access to health services.
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What you told us On average the people we spoke to rate the neighbourhood 8 out of 10 as a place to live. So while people are positive about the area there are still some quality of life issues that people feel need to be addressed. On a more positive note some of the best features people identified about living in the neighbourhood were: cleanliness, the great appearance of the neighbourhood, friendly neighbours, good access to local shops and amenities; including the hospital and a general lack of traffic issues or congestion. The issues that people identified about living in the neighbourhood were: a feeling of isolation, noise and disturbance from the college and the level of dog fouling. People raised specific issues with us about: Some vandalism and damage to cars Overgrown pieces of land Behaviour of college students in terms of littering Distance of some parking provision in relation to the flats Frequency of street cleaning A lack of children’s activities A lack of play facilities for younger children A lack of a mobile library Residents also expressed an interest in giving their views more regularly and wanted to see more involvement activity. More generally they also thought there was a lack of access to advice services on benefits and a lack of services for older people in their homes. 10
Some of the best features people identified about living in the neighbourhood were: cleanliness, the great appearance of the neighbourhood, friendly neighbours, good access to local shops and amenities; including the hospital and a general lack of traffic issues or congestion. 11
What other organisations told us There are some health issues in the neighbourhood compared with the rest of Tameside particularly in terms of higher mortality rates and non-healthy lifestyles.
Educational attainment and access to training in the neighbourhood is not a problem, but it is felt that more could be done to engage adult learners who wish to return to study later in their lives.
Crime is not seen as an issue both in terms of antisocial behaviour or burglary.
Access to support services is variable with good access to direct services such as health and education but much poorer access to support and advice services around employment or services in the home.
A variety of agencies thought that young people in the neighbourhood did not have access to enough development activities alongside a general lack of leisure facilities for both children and teenagers. Household income is an issue for a number of households with agencies identifying problems with levels of worklessness and benefit dependency. Agencies thought there could be problems for residents in terms of loss of income as part of the Governments’ welfare reform.
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What we saw together: The area generally looks very attractive with lots of green open space and trees
Parking problems on Chesterfield Grove caused by the narrowness or roads
There were significant levels of litter near the college
Poor grass cutting on shared areas
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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’s effectively an action plan which shows what needs to be done in more detail.
Neighbourhood and community management
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What?
Why?
When?
Work with the Police and the Community Safety team on target hardening, surveillance and the development of a more general policing plan to ensure vandalism and low level antisocial behaviour (ASB) disturbance is kept to a minimum and people feel there is an identifiable Police presence.
To reduce levels of vandalism and increase feelings of security for customers who feel vulnerable to crime by developing a long term crime prevention strategy to ensure a consistent policing approach.
December 2013
Review the current facilities and activities for both young and older residents with Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council (TMBC) in addition to the provision of general community facilities, activities and services.
Identification of a broader range of facilities for both groups is needed to improve their quality of life and that of the community more generally and ensure people can access advice and drop in services.
January 2014
Work in partnership with TMBCYouth Services and New Charter’sYouth team to develop diversionary activities with young people.
To reduce the level of antisocial behaviour from youths by providing positive activities and links to other services.
July 2014
What?
Why?
When?
Work with partners to increase signposting of residents to health advice and services.
To improve the health of residents in the neighbourhood and the support they receive.
June 2013
CleanCare to increase targeting of fly tipping and litter in identified areas.
To improve the appearance of specific areas experiencing litter issues.
November 2013
Undertake a joint review of childcare and early years provision with TMBC teams.
To improve the quality of children’s support services in the neighbourhood and increase households ability to work full or part-time.
July 2014
Increase the activities of TMBC environmental patrollers targeting dog fouling.
To reduce the level of dog fouling in the neighbourhood.
September 2013
Consistently signpost and refer customers and their families to employment advice and income advice services working with New Charter’s Great Opportunities programme and other partners to develop work experience placements for long term unemployed.
To increase individuals opportunities of gaining employment and maximising income.
March 2013
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What?
Why?
Link up with TMBC and Money Information Network Tameside (MINT) services to provide financial advice and refer identified residents who may find this helpful.
To increase resident access to banking services, affordable credit and insurance and ensure they are maximising their income.
When? April 2013
We aim to... Improve the quality of children’s support services in the neighbourhood and increase households ability to work full or part-time.
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Tenancy
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What?
Why?
When?
Apply the community contribution criteria from New Charter’s Allocation Policy to ensure a sensitive lettings approach to reduce lifestyle clashes thorough unsuitable lets.
To maintain community stability, reduce turnover of properties once let and decrease neighbour disputes.
April 2013
Increase tenancy and neighbourhood enforcement on activities that affect quality of life e.g. nuisance, upkeep of gardens, noise and pet ownership and support those customers unable to manage their tenancies.
To improve the quality of life for the majority of residents as well as identify and reduce unacceptable conduct.
May 2013
Visit older and vulnerable customers annually to assess any support or adaptations needs.
To maintain the quality of life and independent living for older customers.
September 2013
Signpost and refer customers who may benefit from the help of New Charter’s Welfare Benefits Advice team.
To reduce the number of evictions for non-payment of rent and provide more help and advice on managing finances.
March 2013
Provide increased support to identified vulnerable residents and link them to specialist support and advice services.
To help identified customers successfully manage their tenancy and help families access services that they may find useful.
March 2013
What?
Why?
When?
Hold a regular housing surgery in the neighbourhood.
To make it quick and easy for residents to access services and to ensure neighbourhood issues are dealt with.
April 2013
Neighbourhood team to carry out quarterly neighbourhood inspections (open to residents).
To provide regular monitoring of street level appearance and visible issues.
April 2013
Target customers who may be affected by welfare reform and provide advice and support.
To increase awareness of potential issues and help reduce debt and/or financial problems caused by welfare reform.
January 2013
We aim to... Reduce the number of evictions for non-payment of rent and provide more help and advice on managing finances.
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Home
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What?
Why?
When?
Review the current parking provision for customers.
To identify any additional parking spaces required and the potential options available including green parking if additional provision is required. Also to reduce congestion on some roads and increase residents quality of life.
November 2013
Develop a programme for any improvement works required to improve the appearance of New Charter communal areas, fencing and lighting provision.
To improve neighbourhood appearance of communal areas and residents quality of life.
March 2014
Undertake a review of local play facilities provision in consultation with residents.
To ensure children have well placed safe places to play.
October 2014
Develop an individual improvement plan for the garage site near Mossley Road linked to New Charter’s overall garage action plan.
To improve neighbourhood appearance reduce fly tipping and improve parking provision for residents.
October 2013
Undertake a review of refuse storage provision in homes to identify possible improvements.
To identify options to reduce refuse storage issues and improve the effect this has on neighbourhood appearance and the quality of life of residents.
May 2014
To identify options to reduce refuse storage issues and improve the effect this has on neighbourhood appearance and the quality of life of residents. 21
Involvement and empowerment
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What?
Why?
When?
Develop a regular tenants and residents forum.
To obtain detailed feedback from residents specifically on service and wider neighbourhood issues.
May 2013
Ask interested residents to be street representatives whose role will be to report any issues they or other residents are concerned about in their street or the wider neighbourhood. Neighbourhood team will also contact the street representatives once a quarter to check progress and provide support.
This will provide a way for customers to report any issues to staff and to have them addressed promptly.This will also help improve the day to day service.
June 2013
Develop customer inspections on key customer identified issues.
To increase customer led monitoring of issues by getting the ‘customer eye’ view.
July 2013
Develop a focus group or coffee morning with older residents.
To identify specific issues that affect older people in the neighbourhood and develop social networks for older residents.
May 2013
Set up a neighbourhood facebook page.
To encourage a different type of dialogue between residents with each other and with staff.This will help with regards to reporting, supporting and discussion.
May 2013
What?
Why?
When?
Work with local schools, residents, New Charter’s Regeneration team and TMBC Volunteering Support; on the feasibility of setting up a holiday activity club for children.
To improve activities for children during school holidays, help parents to meet each other and improve the community’s ability to work on projects for things they want to see.
May 2013
Hold weekend community information events or fun days 4 times a year and hold seasonal activities at Easter and Halloween.
To improve the neighbourhood appearance and increase community spirit, building positive relationships with neighbours and increasing the community’s knowledge of what services and opportunities are available.
April 2013
We aim to... Improve activities for children during school holidays, help parents to meet each other and improve the community’s ability to work on projects for things they want to see. 23
What next? Great progress we hope!! Work has already begun in your neighbourhood on the various actions outlined in Your Great Neighbourhood Charter as well as in our other 31 New Charter neighbourhoods. We would like the Great Neighbourhood Charters to mark the start of a new phase of activity aimed at ensuring that all our neighbourhoods are the great places that we all want and know they can be. We will be reviewing the Charter frequently this year and we will keep you updated on the progress, you will have the opportunity to be involved in this so please watch out for advertised activities or requests for feedback. However there is no need to wait until then‌ if after reading this you have any questions comments or suggestions or if you would like to get more involved in helping us identify what we could achieve in your neighbourhood please contact us and give us your thoughts. You can do this by ringing 0161 331 2000 or contacting us via your preferred method, we can also arrange for someone to call and visit you in your home if you would prefer, we would really like to hear from you.
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Neighbourhood Fact File Here are some facts and figures about the people and properties that make up your neighbourhood which we thought you may find interesting.
Number of properties owned by New Charter =
111
Properties by type
Houses
72
Bungalows
2
Flats
37
Black Minority Ethnic
6.05%
Under 16
22.18%
55+
25.00% 18 - 25
12.50%
Number of residents =
248 25
Final Thoughts We hope that over the next three years through the actions outlined in your Great Neighbourhood Charter we will really make a visible difference to your neighbourhood, making it more attractive for those living or thinking of living in it and improve resident’s quality of life. We think the key to success will be to continue to work together with you to achieve this.
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Contact us Main switchboard: 0161 331 2000 Emergency housing & repairs calls: 0800 027 0828 If you need an emergency repair during the following times: - Before 8am and after 6pm Monday to Friday - During weekends and Bank Holidays Antisocial behaviour helpline: 0800 027 0522 (24 hours a day)
@ contact@newcharter.co.uk www.newcharter.co.uk newchartergroup
Home and Community Hubs 2 Henrietta Street, Ashton 9 Albert Street, Denton 12 Clarendon Street, Hyde 63 Grosvenor Street, Stalybridge
Head office:
New Charter, Cavendish 249, Cavendish Street, Ashton-under-Lyne OL6 7AT
@newchartergroup
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Resource Housing Reg. No. 2111