What if...
What if…
no one got involved in your neighbourhood?
Community worker
Jonathan Pace
When nobody gets involved in their neighbourhood, the results can be apathy, neglect, crime and antisocial behaviour. Vandals aren’t challenged; young people have nothing to do; older people lack support.
Fortunately, few neighbourhoods are that bad. Even the most disadvantaged areas have community groups and associations that speak up for local people. Youth clubs provide a place where young people can meet without appearing to intimidate other residents; playgroups can provide a hub for parents to meet and support each other; drop-in centres can offer older people somewhere to socialise and raise their concerns.
The government has recognised the vital role that community organisations play in their neighbourhood with a funding package of £80m, announced by Chancellor Gordon Brown in the 2007 Budget.
Neighbourhood manager
Nicola Price
Successful neighbourhoods need interested and involved local residents. They need people who can form community groups, lobby for better facilities, or get involved in local politics.
Neighbourhood management is a way of making local services work for the benefit of a local community. A neighbourhood manager brings together a partnership of service providers such as the local council, the police, healthcare providers and employment services to coordinate their activities and focus them on local issues. In Clifton, Nottingham, for example, services now operate from a new building, the Clifton Cornerstone, at the heart of a local shopping centre and accessible to members of the public. There are now about 300 neighbourhood management schemes across England.
For neighbourhood management to work effectively, local people need to be willing and able to get involved in their locality. Residents are usually strongly represented on neighbourhood management boards. A vocal business community can focus attention on issues such as rubbish collection and street lighting, helping to make local shopping centres safer and more attractive.
A key aspect of neighbourhood managers’ work is to get to know local community groups and organisations. These can range from a tenants’ and residents’ association on a council estate, which represents residents and ensures they are getting a good service from their landlord, to sports clubs or arts groups that might want to improve their facilities or stage a local festival.
Neighbourhood managers will also work with local community leaders, from elected councillors to leaders of mosques or churches, helping them to get involved in the wider community and resolving potential conflicts.
