Category: COMMUNITY ANCHORS

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COMMUNITY ANCHORS: New Housing Act to challenge landlord’s behaviour

Words by Simon Wilson, Chief Executive Officer – The Pioneer Group

The past few years have seen some of the most significant events in social housing, with the Grenfell fire tragedy in 2017 and more recent issues such as Awaab Ishak’s death bringing conversations around the adequacy of social housing and especially the lack of tenant involvement and empowerment with some landlords, to the fore.

It’s quite right that landlords are held to account by both the regulator and housing ombudsman but, most importantly, by their tenants for how they behave.

All of this sets the context for The Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023, which became law in July. It is intended to drive a new proactive approach to regulating social housing, ensuring standards are met and action is taken against failing landlords. The Act itself describes its purpose as being to “reform the regulatory regime to drive significant change in landlord behaviour.”

As a community focussed landlord Castle Vale Community Housing has always remained focussed on who we are here to serve, so we welcome this update and the new powers of the regulator. This is evidenced by our success in retaining the highest possible ratings from our Regulator last year. Our current plans already focus on great safe homes and creating strong vibrant communities.

Like all landlords, we cannot be complacent in any way We will use this new legislation to double down on our tenant priorities and get even better at engaging with tenants and residents ensuring the voice of our tenants continues to be at the heart of everything we do.

For more on The Pioneer Group visit www.pioneergroup.org.uk and for more on Compass Support visit www.compass-support.org.uk

The Pioneer Group and Compass Support are key partners in the Erdington Local COMMUNITY ANCHORS programme, supporting independent local and community journalism.

(Ed’s note: This column was first submitted to the Erdington Local newspaper on 4 September, before the announcement of a Section 114 notice issued by Birmingham City Council.)

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COMMUNITY ANCHORS: Enterprising Erdington

Words by Afzal Hussain – Chief Officer of Witton Lodge Community Association


 
We are delighted that Birmingham City Council has taken the bold decision to invest £2m to help refurbish, and transform the former Erdington Baths into a state-of-the-art Enterprise facility. We’re already turning our attention to the other major funder, the West Midlands Combined Authority to match the Council’s investment, and the signs are encouraging.

So many residents have fond memories of the Baths and we have had huge support from the local community and local businesses to bring this much-loved facility back into use. We remain committed to doing all that we can to make it happen.

As many people know, it is not a straightforward project, given the size, age and state of the building. We have also had to overcome many setbacks, not least, with Erdington missing out on Government investment on three occasions.

Despite this, at Witton Lodge Community Association we remain resolute and optimistic. We have many of the foundations already in place including Planning Approval, expert technical teams, and political support especially from Paulette Hamilton MP and Councillor Robert Alden.

As more and more services move online, we know the physical hubs aren’t the complete answer, and of course we will continue to support our residents to develop their IT skills, none-the-less, we believe this is no substitute for high quality, locally accessible facilities where you can meet and speak to a person face-to-face.

We’re truly fortunate in Erdington, to have many such places including those listed on the Erdington Local ENNS page.

For more on Witton Lodge Community Association, visit www.wittonlodge.org.uk

Witton Lodge Community Association is a key partner in the Erdington Local COMMUNITY ANCHORS programme, supporting independent local and community journalism.

(Ed’s note: This column was first submitted to the Erdington Local newspaper on 4 September, before the announcement of a Section 114 notice issued by Birmingham City Council.)

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COMMUNITY ANCHORS: Become a Castle Vale Community Housing Board member and help shape change

Words & pics supplied by The Pioneer Group

Castle Vale Community Housing (CVCH) grew out of the re-development of Castle Vale Estate which started with many tenants and residents attending a meeting with Birmingham City Council regarding getting a Housing Action Trust on Castle Vale.

In 2004 Castle Vale Community Housing Association took responsibility for the management of the stock and in 2015 it created The Pioneer Group, with a mission to continue to work with communities around Castle Vale and to build and acquire homes to meet housing needs.

We are now looking for resident/community Board members to join our Castle Vale Community Housing Board which is responsible for the day-to-day management of the core services around housing, repairs, community safety and environmental issues at CVCH. This includes an active role in decision making and shaping the services that are important to tenants and residents.

Our Board consists of up to nine Board members, and it is important to us that a majority are tenants and residents with direct experience of receiving our services. We hold up to five meetings per year and arrange at least one joint Board away event each year.

Board away events, development activities and training will also be arranged throughout the year.

The successful candidate will have the following essential attributes:

A commitment to including the community, and to meeting its needs.
The ability and willingness to learn and take a genuine interest in our work.
The ability to make constructive contributions to discussion, and bring new perspectives and ideas.

We would specifically encourage applications from people with skills and an interest in how we can continue to improve the management of our services to meet the needs of tenants and residents of the Castle Vale estate.

Meetings take place around five times per year starting in the early evening and last approximately 2 hours.

For further information or a discussion about the role, please contact Kate Foley on Kate.Foley@cvch.org.uk. Alternatively please call 0121 748 8100.

Please send expressions of interest to GovernanceAssuranceTeam@pioneergroup.org.uk by Friday 22nd September 2023.

Interviews will be held on the 10th or 13th October. 

For more on The Pioneer Group visit www.pioneergroup.org.uk and for more on Compass Support visit www.compass-support.org.uk

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COMMUNITY ANCHORS: Castle Vale Stadium event launches new community services

Words & pics supplied by The Pioneer Group

A new era in community engagement kicks off on Saturday 12 August when Castle Vale Stadium unveils its brand new 3G pitch.

From 9.30am to 1pm, visitors can enjoy a whole range of activities designed to showcase new opportunities like walking football, women’s football and activities for disabled people.

Leaders at the Pioneer Group say the new 3G pitch at Castle Vale Stadium will help to drive socio-economic growth and boost diversity and engagement across the local community. The project builds on previous collaboration with the Football Foundation.

Stadium Manager, Dave Travers, said: “The new pitch will provide more opportunity for people to access and use the stadium and deliver even greater diversity including women’s football, walking football and disabled groups.”

“Income generated from the extra use will be re-invested into the local community.”

Residents are invited to attend Saturday’s information day where they can find out more about the work that has taken place and learn about plans to deliver new activities and provision from the site.

Former Wolverhampton Wanderers star Karl Henry will be part of proceedings with a series of matches also taking place to engage attendees.

For more on The Pioneer Group visit www.pioneergroup.org.uk and for more on Compass Support visit www.compass-support.org.uk

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COMMUNITY ANCHORS: Unleashing local talent!

Words by Afzal Hussain – Chief Officer, Witton Lodge Community Association

We know there are many economic issues and challenges facing our local communities, not least through this current cost-of-living crisis. We also know there is huge talent and untapped potential in Erdington, coupled with major developments that will create hundreds of jobs and apprenticeship opportunities.

At Witton Lodge Community Association, we are passionate about building on the strengths of our local communities, unleashing talent and creating a strong local economy that benefits our residents and local businesses.

The North Birmingham Economic Recovery (NB:ER) Board is a really solid partnership, chaired by Paulette Hamilton MP, and through this Board we’re seeking to build a permanent bridge between jobs, investment and opportunities AND the needs, hopes and aspirations of our local residents.

By way of example, this means working hard to support our local residents into jobs with Amazon, at the Peddimore site. Beyond this, there are many more opportunities with HS2 and other employers in Erdington and North Birmingham.

We also know that some people are keen to setup their own businesses, and locally there just isn’t the space or support available for our budding entrepreneurs. We have been working hard over many years to transform the former Erdington Swimming Baths into a state-of-the-art Enterprise Hub… and we are expecting a positive announcement from Birmingham City Council that will bring this another step closer.

So, if you’re a resident looking for work, wanting to enhance your skills or would like any more information about the enterprise facility, then do get in touch with us.

For more on Witton Lodge Community Association, visit www.wittonlodge.org.uk

Witton Lodge Community Association is a key partner in the Erdington Local COMMUNITY ANCHORS programme, supporting independent local and community journalism.

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COMMUNITY ANCHORS: Employment Opportunities For Our Residents

Words by Simon Wilson, Chief Executive Officer – The Pioneer Group

The Pioneer Group, through our charitable arm Compass Support, is a social value partner alongside three other charities to the Peddimore Employment Park development being led by the IM Properties Group. This people focussed work benefits our local neighbourhoods and community organisations.

Moving forward, we are looking to work in partnership with IM Properties, the new employer tenants at Peddimore and other charities, over the next five years, to capitalise on the pipeline of employment opportunities the development will present to our residents.

The cost-of-living pressures faced by our residents are very much at the forefront of our thinking and our recently published strategy Work First seeks to realise this by connecting local employment opportunities with our residents. We have already capitalised on this approach with employers such as the NHS and aim to build on this approach in the months ahead.

The new Peddimore Employment Park will be located in Minworth, not far from the Asda supermarket.

For more on The Pioneer Group visit www.pioneergroup.org.uk and for more on Compass Support visit www.compass-support.org.uk

The Pioneer Group and Compass Support are key partners in the Erdington Local COMMUNITY ANCHORS programme, supporting independent local and community journalism.

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COMMUNITY ANCHORS: Work with us to improve your estate

Words & pics supplied by The Pioneer Group

Do you have any concerns about your neighbourhood? Our Estate Walkabouts give residents the chance to work alongside Neighbourhood Officers to highlight issues in the local area.

Residents and officers walk the estate together, looking out for anything that makes the estate look untidy and unsafe and make a note of it. An action plan will then be created by residents and officers, determining what actions are needed to resolve the problems, a timescale for the actions and more.

Why not come along and join us on the next Estate Walkabout for your area and have a say in how you would like it to be improved?

If you are unable to come along on the day, don’t worry you can still be involved by contacting us on (0121 648 8100) or email us at contactus@cvch.org.uk where you can highlight any improvements you think would enhance your estate and have an influence in any decisions we make.

The next Walkabouts are scheduled as follows:

Tuesday 1 August 10-30-12:30am:  Meet outside at Cost Cutters Store, Farnborough Road, B35 7JG (Sowrey Area).

Thursday 2 August 10-30-12:30am, Meet outside CVCH Reception Area, High St , B35 7PX (Fairclough Area).

We look forward to seeing and meeting you!

For more information, please contact Vik Mistry, Resident Engagement Officer on 07956 007696 or Vikash.mistry@cvch.org.uk 

For more on The Pioneer Group visit www.pioneergroup.org.uk and for more on Compass Support visit www.compass-support.org.uk

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COMMUNITY ANCHORS: Pupils employability takes centre stage as Hippodrome showcases project

Words by Karen Graze / Pics supplied by The Pioneer Group

Youth Unemployment is stubbornly high in the city, greater than the national average.

So the Partnerships team at The Pioneer Group decided to take action on this in order to support our communities and the next generation.

Since September we have been working on an employability and pathways project with Year 11 pupils in East Birmingham, coaching and mentoring them and supporting them with their post 16 choices.

Now that the academic year is coming to an end, we are undertaking a Partnership for People and Place legacy project by staging a play – Antigone Rescratched at the Hippodrome in Birmingham.

The whole process has allowed young people to develop their employability skills through working together on the play through teamwork, presentation skills, creative thinking and following instructions.

The performance itself will provide them with invaluable work experience.

The aim of the legacy theatre project itself was to address the lack of work experience opportunities for some young people in a post covid environment and offer experience in the creative industry, something which is often overlooked as an option for people from certain communities.

Today’s performance will be the cherry on the cake of our successful project and hopefully inspire and empower those involved to dream big and consider working in industries they never thought possible.

For more on The Pioneer Group visit www.pioneergroup.org.uk and for more on Compass Support visit www.compass-support.org.uk

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COMMUNITY ANCHORS: Homes project tackles housing shortage

Words & pics supplied by Castle Vale Community Housing

As the sector continues to battle a national housing shortage, Castle Vale Community Housing (CVCH) is delivering a project which aims to buck the trend and provide low-income earners with safe, affordable homes.

A partnership with Miller Homes has resulted in the acquisition and development of 42 properties in Sutton Coldfield – 24 affordable homes for rent and 18 for shared ownership.

Dave Livesey, Director of Development and Asset Management at CVCH, said: “As a community landlord we are very conscious of the lack of affordable housing in the area and are duty bound to provide as much support as we can.”

Since being established in 2015, The Pioneer Group has built a nationally recognised reputation for community regeneration that is resident led, delivering homes for CVCH.

This latest project on Rectory Road in Sutton Coldfield follows similar CVCH successful schemes on Station Road in Stechford, Webster Court in Erdington and Farnborough Road in Castle Vale. The initial rental properties will be let through Birmingham City Council.

“Our plan is to increase our stock number by over 10 per cent by 2027,” adds Dave.

“This represents the single biggest development programme for the Pioneer Group since its creation and affirms our commitment to doing our bit to addressing the housing crisis.”

Alastair Parsons, Area Sales Director for Miller Homes Midlands, said: “We are delighted to work with The Pioneer Group to deliver affordable homes in the desirable setting of Sutton Coldfield.

“Once the location of a former Ministry of Defence (MOD) office building, we are proud to have regenerated the site into a range of energy efficient new homes.

“Building communities is at the heart of what we do at Miller Homes and we hope the new residents will enjoy their new homes for many years to come.”

For more on The Pioneer Group visit www.pioneergroup.org.uk and for more on Compass Support visit www.compass-support.org.uk

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COMMUNITY ANCHORS: The power of community

Words by Afzal Hussain – Chief Officer of Witton Lodge Community Association


 
I am sometimes asked what difference community-led organisations really make? Especially given the scale of today’s challenges, such as, the cost-of-living crisis. Events recently held across Erdington start to shed some light on this.

In Wyrley Birch we celebrated the first birthday of Witton Lakes Eco Hub.  It is a shining example of how over many years, local residents and volunteers overcame huge obstacles, and with grit and determination helped to create this wonderful community facility.

Once the site of a derelict building and a rubbish dump, it is now a thriving community hub where residents can enjoy a drink or join in a wide range of activities. Local school children are learning about the environment and a network of community partners will provide advice and practical tips to reduce energy use and fuel bills.

In contrast, a community meeting held at Six Ways Baptist Church regarding HMO’s & exempt accommodation raised serious concerns from residents on issues including crime, antisocial behaviour, and safety. There was palpable anger amongst residents.


 
I’m not certain a strong, local community anchor will have prevented the problems from arising, however, I am confident that these issues will have been raised earlier, with options and possible solutions explored with stakeholders. Maybe this will provide the impetus to create a strong local voice.

At Witton Lodge Community Association, we are huge advocates of communities playing a leading role in shaping their neighbourhoods, and believe more decisions should be taken locally. We continue to make the case for this, and take our message to national and local politicians.

For more on Witton Lodge Community Association, visit www.wittonlodge.org.uk

Witton Lodge Community Association is a key partner in the Erdington Local COMMUNITY ANCHORS programme, supporting independent local and community journalism.