You’ve got the Power Councillor update 23rd February 2016 Project progress and review Report by Mark Pearson, Regeneration Project Coordinator
1.
Introduction
1.1
This report provides Councillors with an update on the You’ve got the Power, Participatory Budget (PB) project. The report covers: •
The current process for identifying and agreeing projects.
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An update on progress and achievements since 2013.
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Information on the review of the project.
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Key actions identified from the review to improve the process.
2.
Background
2.1
In December 2012 YHN Board approved an investment programme which detailed expenditure across a number of expenditure blocks for four years. This included a provision of £1m each year for a participatory budget which built on the success of the previous You’ve got the Power project. This provided funding to respond proactively to tenants issues in their neighbourhoods.
2.2
In June 2015, YHN Board approved the provisional investment programme which again included a budget for PB.
2.3
Participatory budgeting is a widely acknowledged and proven method of involving local people in deciding how a budget is spent in their local area. Local people are presented with projects and can decide which projects are delivered. Successful projects are then given a share of the budget. The PB project has: • Given residents decision making power; • Allowed local residents to decide how money is spent in their local area;
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Helped promote localism and has provided a greater flexibility to respond to local needs; Enabled local residents to get involved in scrutinising and monitoring performance, which has been empowering, engaging and outcome focused.
3.
Current Process
3.1
Tenants Panel A Tenants Panel was set up at the start of the project to oversee the overall process. The Panel was involved at the inception of this project and the development of the process which has been used to date. The role of the panel is to scrutinize the processes, suggest improvements, shortlist projects and make decisions on which projects should be delivered. Regular meetings have taken place since the start of the project with site visits being part of the agenda to demonstrate the positive impact the projects have had on the local community.
3.2
Submitting ideas/Advertising the project A ‘You’ve got the Power (YGTP) flyer’ is sent out with rent statements to request suggestions from tenants for environmental projects in their local area. Tenants complete the flyer with their idea and how it will improve their estate. These can be returned via freepost, email or can be dropped in at Housing Hubs. When the flyers are sent out, a briefing note is issued to local councillors and the project is promoted on the staff intranet. Suggestions for projects are accepted from tenants, leaseholders, councillors and staff. The project is also publicised in Homes and People and the local press to create interest and awareness of the project.
3.3
Shortlisting the ideas The suggestions go through a shortlisting process which is as follows:
3.4
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Duplicates are removed and suggestions not suitable for the project are forwarded on to other services for consideration and action.
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Technical assessments are carried out on the projects to check their feasibility. Some may need to be ruled out as they are not technically possible.
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YHN internal officer group meet to review the suggestions and consider alternative methods to deliver the projects such as through the Service Level Agreement with Newcastle City Council (NCC) or through future programmed works.
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YHN staff and the Tenants Panel meet to review the list and agree the projects to be included in the voting booklet.
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Letters are sent out to the people who suggested the projects to advise on the next steps with their suggestion. This could include the work that will be delivered by another service rather than through PB.
Voting for the projects The voting booklet is developed showing text and photographs for each shortlisted project. Projects are banded and tenants are asked to vote for their top five projects
from each of the three categories below: Low (£0 – 9K) Medium (£10 – 49K) High (£50K plus) The voting booklet is sent out with Homes & People, placed online and displayed in Housing Hubs. Tenants are asked to submit their choices within a set timescale. Votes are then collated and the results are discussed in a meeting with the Tenants Panel. This meeting agrees which projects will be delivered within the budget. 3.5
Successful projects The results of the voting process are communicated to all stakeholders via letters, Homes & People and email. The results are also publicised on YHN’s website. Staff are advised of the results through the intranet.
3.6
Consultation Once a project is agreed, it is necessary to carry out detailed consultation as on some occasions an idea is submitted by an individual but is not supported by the wider community. Housing staff, Environmental Services Team and Councillors will be consulted to obtain views ahead of project delivery.
4.
Progress and Achievements
4.1
Progress YHN launched You’ve got the Power PB project in 2013. There have been two rounds of bids for tenants to submit their ideas. During the first round in 2013, 450 suggestions were received and over 6000 votes were cast. This resulted in 44 successful projects for delivery over a two year period (April 2013 – March 2015). Round two was publicised in 2014 and 350 suggestions were received and over 4,000 votes were cast. This resulted in 52 projects for delivery over a two year period (April 2015 – March 2017). The majority of projects have been delivered for round one, however, there are a small number of projects which are just now starting on site due to the extensive consultation and design requirements. Round two projects are ongoing and to date, 13 projects have been completed.
4.2
Achievements Customer Satisfaction Customer satisfaction surveys have been carried out on completed environmental projects. The feedback is very positive with overall satisfaction currently at 97%.
Tenants Panel/Resident Feedback Residents have been very complimentary about the works that have been delivered.
Some of the comments from customer satisfaction surveys include: Mr Beaty, a tenant from Northumbria Walk said “ I am really pleased with the work. It has stopped youths congregating and it looks good now with the new railings’ Miss Cowan, a tenant from Iris Place said “I think this was a great idea. It is much better and easier now’. Phylis Chilton of The Retreat said ‘We’re all delighted with the new lighting and are very grateful to be chosen as one of the projects to receive funding’ Many of the projects have had a direct impact on the health and wellbeing of our tenants. Jacqui Higgins, Pottery Bank Community Centre Coordinator provided feedback after the completion of the allotment project delivered through YGTP. “The allotment provides the space and opportunity for groups and local residents to grow healthy, affordable fresh vegetables. More than this, it will bring together people of all ages within the community. Engagement is high and is allowing residents to get involved in deciding how money is spent in their area. The Tenants Panel are very happy with the programme to date and have enjoyed a number of site visits during the delivery of the projects. The Tenants panel have provided feedback on their role. ‘We meet regularly, get lots of information from YHN and have a real say on how the programme runs and how the money is spent. It’s a lot of responsibility but we love being involved because tenants really do have ‘the power’. Publicity A number of projects have received positive publicity through Homes & People and the local press which has raised the profile of the programme and highlighted the variety of works being delivered. These projects include:
5.
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Increasing the external lighting around the bungalows at The Retreat in Newburn to make residents feel safer when going out at night.
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Creation of a communal allotment at Pottery Bank Community Centre in Walker.
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Improvements to planters and road resurfacing at Englefied Close, Kingston Park.
Review of the current process
To ensure continuous improvement, the programme has undergone a review which has involved: •
An on line survey completed by frontline staff & Councillors. This was sent out to 397 people and received 99 responses (25%),
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Meetings with internal teams linked with the project. These include Environmental Services, Property Maintenance, Technical Services, Customer Involvement, IT, Business Strategy, Tenancy and Estate Management and Communications.
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A special meeting of the Tenants Panel to gain their views both as a panel member but also as a tenant.
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It is also intended to include a question about ‘how we can improve YGTP on the flyer going out to all tenants in April 2016.
Summary of the key points from the consultation. The results of the consultation highlighted improvements are required in the following key areas: 5.1
Increasing the range of ideas. There was feedback provided that the range of ideas was very narrow and tended to be around increased parking provision and provision of within curtilage parking. Feedback suggested we should be encouraging projects which would have a wider impact on the community. The communal garden at Pottery Bank community centre was cited as an example which was a completely different project but which had wide reaching benefits in terms of health and wellbeing, educational and community engagement. It was felt we should be promoting successful projects like this to encourage a wider range of suggestions
5.2
Representation and diversity of groups providing suggestions. The feedback suggested that the majority of suggestions were coming from areas of the City where there was already high engagement such as the Outer West and North and the East area .It was also suggested that most of the ideas came from White British tenants. This feedback will need to be confirmed by doing further analysis on the round one and two suggestions.
5.3
How a suggestion is submitted and the timescales. The feedback identified that there was not enough publicity about the opportunity to make suggestions and the timescales for the bidding rounds. The feedback suggested there should be more advertising via social media and that promotion should be wider than the flyer and Homes and People with more community events and one to one support. This is especially important for the areas where there has been low engagement.
5.4
The voting process.
Again the feedback suggested we may get more suggestions if we use social media or develop an App for the process. There was also a common theme about the need to publicise the project when it is open for ideas and ensure everyone understands the timescales. 5.5
Communication and promotion of the scheme. Feedback suggested that wider suggestions such be publicised to encourage a wider range of suggestions. A number of suggestions were made about the possibility of using video coverage for some of the projects so tenants can see the type of projects which have been successful. There was also a suggestion that staff are not kept up to date during the process. They stated they knew when a project had been successful but then didn’t know what was happening in between it being approved and being delivered on site. These headings have been used to develop the action plan for improvement which is attached as appendix one. Each of the headings has been used as the area for improvement and a number of key actions have been identified to address each weakness. Any further suggestions for improvements received through the next flyer will be added to the action plan.
6.
The Options / Appraisal
6.1
This report provides councillors with an update on the You’ve got the Power programme and the outcome of the review.
7.
The Business Implications
7.1
Mission and Strategic Objectives: This report links with our strategic objectives to make the money deliver, to create homes and neighbourhoods we can all be proud of and work together to realise a brighter future.
7.2
Value for money/efficiencies; Consultation is carried out with the Environmental Services team ahead of any project being delivered. This is to ensure the proposals reduce future maintenance costs wherever possible. Examples of this include the removal of grassed areas, shrubs and to consider grass cutting when installing new fences or railings. The projects will achieve value for money through comparison of Building and Commercial Enterprise (BCE) costs with competitive tendering rates.
7.3
Financial Implications There are financial implications when delivering the investment programme. The current review of the programme in light of the 1% rent reduction ensures we are able to address the financial pressure on the programme and deliver within the debt cap. This project has not been identified for any reductions as part of the review due to its success at being able to address tenants priorities in the local community.
7.4
Resources (financial, property, technological or human) : The programmes will be delivered using existing staff resources as part of the overall investment programme.
7.5
Impact on services/performance: The review has enabled us to identify areas for improvement in the current processes. By improving the process we will improve the level of service for our tenants. Customer satisfaction on individual projects will continue. This will enable us to continue to learn from feedback.
7.6
Outcomes for tenants/leaseholders: PB promotes community cohesion through the delivery of environmental improvements such as community gardens, allotments and planters. It encourages communities to come together and suggest ideas to improve the area around their homes. The outcome is that residents are more involved in the community around them and benefit from the works delivered through this programme.
7.7
Risk (reputation, relationship): The one percent rent reduction has placed pressures on the Investment Programme. A proposal has been provided by YHN which is currently under review by NCC. This programme is vitally important to local communities and gives residents and local groups a direct opportunity to identify priorities and improve their communities. At this stage, there are no plans to reduce the PB budget but there could be a risk to this budget if further savings are required. The risk is being managed by regular discussions with staff from Newcastle City Council who understand the benefits of this project.
7.8
Environmental: The types of projects which have been delivered have a direct impact on the way local residents feel about their environment. These improvements will help create sustainable tenancies and also have a positive impact on the maintenance budget. Environmental sustainability is considered as part of the specification.
7.9
Legal: Each individual project is assessed for any legal implications.
7.10 Equality and Diversity: As this is a community led project, there are opportunities for all groups to contribute to the programme through the extensive consultation process. The nature of the programme brings residents together and builds up community spirit through discussion about local priorities. This promotes health and wellbeing and leads to sustainable tenancies. Further recruitment to the Tenants Panel is a key action which will make the group more representative of our customers. High cost suggestions of over 100K such as new driveways with side and front metal fencing are now transferred to the main environmental programme as only selected
streets can be completed due to the limited budget.
7.11 Stakeholder Involvement/consultation: The You’ve got the Power programme is discussed in the following areas: • Tenants Investment Forum • Tenants Panel Meetings • Tenants and Residents Meetings • Site meetings All tenants across the City will receive suggestion forms and voting booklets as part of the process. Homes and People has regularly featured articles about the projects. Consultation is conducted on a local level for all projects. 8.
Conclusion and recommendations
8.1
This project has made a big difference to the lives of many of our tenants. There have been some really positive comments received about the projects we have delivered and customer satisfaction remains high. The project provides tenants with a real say on how money is spent in their local areas and enables us to respond proactively to current local issues. The project has the power to improve the levels of community spirit which in turn will help create sustainable communities. A number of projects have also helped reduce anti-social behaviour and improved the health and wellbeing of the local communities. The recent review has provided some excellent suggestions on how we can make the project even better.
9. 9.1
Implementation •
Monitor the action plan on a monthly basis to ensure all key actions are delivered.
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Continue to deliver the current projects and measure customer satisfaction
Background Papers YHN Board report December 2012 - Investment Planning under self-financing Contact Officer: If you have any questions about this report, you can contact Mark Pearson, Regeneration Project Coordinator, Assets and Regeneration Team and by telephone on 0191 278 8702 or email mark.j.pearson@yhn.org.uk .