Neighbourhood clean up 'quick wins', Bournemouth

'There's a good community spirit here,' says local resident Jennie, who moved to Bournemouth from Kent a year ago so that her husband Glynn could take up a job offer. A health problem meant the job, and the accommodation that went with it, fell through. With their daughter, they now rent privately from Nigel, who owns many properties in the area. They and Keats agree that he's an excellent landlord 'renovating the houses properly inside and out'. He also lives locally.

Resident Jennie and daughter with street improvement coordinator Jo Keats at Churchill Gardens

Among other improvements Jennie cites, the council has made the park an alcohol-free zone. 'It hasn't stopped the drinkers altogether but they're a lot better behaved and they mind their language when there's children around.' There are also organised activities for children run from a base at one corner of the park.

Lick of paint also had a marked effect, with owners and tenants taking an obvious pride in the appearance of their homes. 'If the tenants and the landlords here can work together, you'll get success,' says Glynn, 'and a lot of that will be down to neighbourhood management.'