Category: COMMUNITY ANCHORS

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COMMUNITY ANCHORS: Birmingham City Council issues Section 114 notice. So, what’s next for Birmingham and its communities?

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

Birmingham City Council is experiencing severe financial difficulties, and this is a worrying time for all of us that have a stake in this city, and even more so for vulnerable residents and groups that rely on council services, funding, or support.

The Council leadership declared that it “will prioritise core services that our residents rely on, in line with our values of supporting the most vulnerable”. In all honesty it is difficult to imagine how this will be achieved, given the Councils’ parlous financial state and the inevitable cuts to services and further loss of staff.

Over recent years, we have lost many of the essential support services that communities rely on – youth work, neighbourhood advice services and Sure Start, to name but a few. The pandemic, followed by a cost-of-living crisis, is already putting unbearable pressure on many.

That said, I’m certain that even against this tough backdrop our local community, voluntary and faith groups will rally to do what they can. In Erdington, we have a good track record of doing this, and this will be needed now, more than ever.

Of course, Birmingham City Council is a vital institution, however, it is important to remember that there are also many other important stakeholders, and the collective leadership challenge, is to come together to protect and support our vulnerable and rebuild.

In the meantime, at Witton Lodge Community Association we have offered our support to the Council to help pull together a credible plan, making the case for protecting services in Erdington, and doing things differently.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us or pop along to one of our Advice Surgeries.

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: Partnership and collaboration in the face of adversity

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

There have been some scary headlines about the City Council’s need to serve what is known as a Section 114 notice and while I would not seek to downplay the seriousness of the financial challenges Birmingham now faces, there is a commitment to protect core services and work is underway to set out a recovery plan.

We will support this effort. We have looked at the areas of funding we receive from the local authority and have not identified an immediate impact to services our tenants and residents receive.

As an anchor organisation we have always sought and had a strong working relationship with the City Council and a range of partners in our core communities – working closely with tenant groups, charities like Spitfire Services, faith groups, community groups and schools.

We worked together to help people through the Covid-19 pandemic and are taking the same approach to helping those most vulnerable and in need of support through our Cost of Living Task Force.

Of course this latest news is a worry and the Council will face some tough decisions as it starts to balance its books but our services will continue through CVCH and Compass Support. We will continue to work in partnership supporting other organisations, working together and getting out of the way when others are best placed to deliver in our communities.

I know when things get tough our community responds, Spitfire Services rescued and now run Castle Vale Library and swimming pool and CVCH runs – and is investing in – the Castle Vale Stadium.

We will work with whoever we need to in order to protect the facilities and services our communities hold dear.

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: WLCA host Jobs Fair at Perry Common Hall on Friday 13 October

Words and promotional imagery by WLCA


 
Witton Lodge Community Association is hosting a Jobs Fair on Friday 13 October, inviting local jobseekers to meet with major employers from across the region.

The WLCA Jobs Fair will be held from 10am to 2pm at Perry Common Community Hall, 87 Witton Lodge Rd, Birmingham, B23 5JD. Click here for a Google Maps link to the address.

The Job Fair will be showcasing a range of training and employment opportunities from a variety of organisations including Amazon, who will be promoting their opportunities for local people from all backgrounds.

The Witton Lodge Community Association Employment and Skills Team will also be on hand to engage with those attending and provide advice to support their journey into work.

The upcoming Jobs Fair is an excellent opportunity for people to meet the team, employers, and training providers to find out more about the range of employment and training opportunities available across the city.

Marcia Lewis, Employer Engagement Officer at WLCA said “We are delighted to provide a welcoming space to help connect jobseekers from our local community to potential employers as well as a range of training providers to support attendees with any skills and training needs they may have.”

She added: “The Jobs Fair will be held in the heart of our community at Perry Common Community Hall and will be showcasing opportunities in warehousing, health & social care, hospitality/facilities, construction, office, customer service and more. We look forward to welcoming everyone on the 13 October.”

To find out more about the WLCA Jobs Fair, or to discuss your employment or training needs with the WLCA Employment and Skills Team, contact WLCA on (0121) 382 1930.

Or follow WLCA on social media and stay up-to-date with their our news, events, and activities.

For more on Witton Lodge Community Association and links to their social media, 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: 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 [email protected]. Alternatively please call 0121 748 8100.

Please send expressions of interest to [email protected] 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 [email protected] 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 [email protected] 

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