Neighbourhood clean up 'quick wins', Bournemouth

Page: 10/10

Evidence

Rundown, neglected housing - 160 properties in disrepair, 465 eyesores
High proportion of privately rented homes in shared or converted houses (39.2% against 4.4% nationally) with 34% sharing a bath or shower and toilet and lacking central heating, against 18% nationally
Around 400 HMOs, representing 40% of all those across Bournemouth
On the indices of multiple deprivation Boscombe West ranks 1,787th out of 32,482 in one output area for 'barriers to housing and services'
Highly transient population, with 23% living at their current address for less than a year
Litter and rubbish cited a problem by 66% of residents, with 45% dissatisfied with how litter and rubbish were dealt with
Vandalism and graffiti cited a problem by 56%
61% say abandoned cars are a problem - 259 removed between November 2002 and November 2003
Noisy neighbours affecting 21% of residents, with 38% dissatisfied with measures to deal with the offenders

Council enforcement activity against private landlords who breach legal regulations has been increased and the council's private sector housing renewal strategy has incorporated recommendations made by neighbourhood management, which has surveyed both property conditions and management standards
Council has implemented landlord accreditation scheme
Private tenants now have a formally established forum for representation and advice and meets every six weeks
Density and tenure mix is being reviewed, with neighbourhood management contributing to discussions with planning officers
Improved security in privately rented properties, with domestic burglaries down significantly
18% of eyesore properties have been improved and 10% of disrepairs have been improved

Street cleanliness standards now regularly reach Encams A or B grading, up from C
Volunteer street representatives carry out regular audits of pavements, street furniture, drainage, etc, which are used to set service plans and budgets
Street wardens service extended to cover Springbourne as well as Boscombe West and their remit has been extended, new security scheme for children encourages them to report bullying or concerns about an adult to wardens
One-way traffic system in Churchill Gardens has slowed speeding vehicles
Environmental and traffic audit underway to identify priorities for traffic and pedestrian safety

Those involved with the project suggest:

Don't try to do too much early on. Make sure you can prove the effectiveness of what you're doing
Don't spread yourself too thinly
Be both organised and chaotic - you're government funded so you need to prove your effectiveness, explain what you're doing and account for everything. But don't be so organised you cannot respond to issues that come up from day-to-day
Be very clear about everybody's roles and responsibilities and who has the powers to do what. Spend a lot of time at first not spending money but working out what to spend it on
Be highly visible - if you are going to involve people in your work, they have to know that you are here and they need to know what you have done well
Don't get overly focused on having money to spend. It is important but biggest successes - eg Safe and Clean - will be biggest failures if you cannot persuade the council to mainstream them
Do your best to persuade the council to discuss opportunities of new or different ways of working with you, for example tailoring planning policies to a specific area, eg 'This is an issue for this street and we think this approach would work locally. Is it possible?'

Sue Bickler, Springbourne and Boscombe West neighbourhood manager,
01202 458 708, sue.bickler@bournemouth.gov.uk

Helen Brooks, administration manager,
01202 458 941, helen.brooks@bournemouth.gov.uk