Neighbourhood clean up 'quick wins', Bournemouth

The last resort - area decline

Neighbourhood manager Sue Bickler

Though only a few miles from Poole, one of Britain's most expensive seaside resorts, tourism in Boscombe has been in decline in recent years, with many hotels and guest houses closing down. 'It's a very varied area with many different elements,' says Bickler. 'On one hand you've got a relatively wealthy population and some large successful hoteliers and, on the other, people sleeping rough under the piers.'

Boscombe West, a thriving neighbourhood at the turn of the century, has seen an unwelcome upturn in antisocial behaviour in recent years, much of it linked to drug abuse and related crime and prostitution. Along with Springbourne, originally built to accommodate the town's artisans, many of its problems have been exacerbated by a rapid population turnover. A survey in 2003 found 36% of residents had moved in the past two years.

Thirty-nine per cent (compared to 7% nationally) rent from private landlords , many in houses in multiple occupation (HMOs). HMO tenants are proportionately more likely to be offenders than owner occupiers but also 'far more likely to be victims of crime', says Inspector Mark Kelly, section commander of East Bournemouth police and a neighbourhood management board member. 'Most live in bedsits with common entrances, poor security and no insurance.'

Inspector Mark Kelly: 'Most live in bedsits with common entrances, poor security and no insurance.'

The burglaries, he says, are typically 'walk-in thefts that are very difficult to investigate successfully and, because the occupants aren't insured, they lose a lot more than most people'. Work done through neighbourhood management with landlords and tenants, he says, has cut domestic burglaries hugely.

Unemployment in the area is much higher than the rest of Bournemouth. And in common with many seaside towns, a high number of those in work depend on seasonal jobs in hotels or catering. And while homelessness is down according to official counts, it persists - particularly affecting drug users and people with mental health problems. 'Let's face it, if you're homeless, where would you rather be - in the city or down here where at least you can walk along the beach?' asks neighbourhood management board member Dee Henderson.

'Housing and the environment have been our top priorities,' says Sue Bickler. 'They are the most visible problems and those that residents have identified as their top concerns. With environment, we have been able to get immediate results which people can see. It has given them confidence in our intentions and ability to deliver. And we've found that problems with housing lie at the root of many other concerns locally, including crime.'