Tag: Senior Housing Modernisation Manager

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NEWS: Over 200 register for community meeting to address ‘common concerns’ over crime and housing

Words & pics by Estelle Murphy

(This is an extended article from the one first published in the Erdington Local July newspaper)

Were you at this community meeting? We’d love to hear about it – please email: [email protected]

Over 200 people registered for a community meeting on 20 June to address ‘common concerns’ affecting Erdington locals, including crime, HMOs, and exempt housing.

Promoted under the banner ‘strong community breeds safe neighbourhoods’ the meeting further aimed to “show the positive side” of local governance and encourage “a better understanding” between the public and those in power.

Organised by Gravelly Hill resident Roger O’Kelly, the meeting packed out the hall at Six Ways Baptist Church – leaving standing room only as people turned up in droves to hear from senior officials from Birmingham City Council (BCC) and West Midlands Police (WMP).

After introductions from Roger O’Kelly and Naziah Rasheed, who helped arrange speakers for the event alongside Gravelly Hill Councillor Mick Brown, the first question came before anyone got up to speak.

A woman from the eager crowd asked: “how many of the panel live in Erdington please?” Getting no answer, she continued: “…I thought so.”

James Fox, Senior Enforcement Officer (Planning) at BCC, began by walking the crowd through the planning and enforcement process. With many arguing the Council should do more to curb the rise of unruly social housing, Mr Fox surmised the Local Authority have “a duty to investigate reports, but are not duty bound to enforce that report”.

Deborah Moseley (Housing) talked about licensing for HMOs, stating there are 314 currently in Erdington, Gravelly Hill, and Stockland Green.

Then Yvonne Cowley (Supported Exempt Accommodation Team) explained the “minimal support” that Exempt Accommodation provide to receive extra money from housing vulnerable people, and later admitted “we (BCC) do not know what that looks like” when pressed by local campaigner Dawn Edwards.

Crime was the next on the now heated agenda, with Assistant Police & Crime Commissioner Tom McNeil talking about the work being done by WMP and brining new community police officers to Erdington. Mr McNeil also challenged the Exempt Accommodation in Erdington, stating many are run by organised criminals and calling for a vetting scheme for landlords.

Erdington’s Police Inspector Shameem Ahmed then discussed how the local police teams dealt with reports over HMO’s and Exempt Accommodation, and how they were tackling crime on Erdington High Street – admitting until people felt safe it wasn’t enough and asking people to come forward with their intelligence.

Erdington Town Centre Manager, John Hodgkiss, voiced concerns over higher local crime rates than the police realised – despite the Erdington ward being promised extra patrols on the High Street and a pop up police station scheduled for February.

And after one man demanded “what are you doing about the blatant drug dealing on the High Street?”, Sergeant Ahmed responded she would arrange for him to join police on patrol and see for himself.

Rounding off the meeting was Reg Banks from Neighbourhood Watch, speaking about the benefits of the scheme and how to get involved.

Organiser of the well attended community meeting, Roger O’Kelly, told Erdington Local: “We are delighted with the huge turnout, this lively event sends a clear message that Erdington wants to see more success by our local authorities in dealing with low-level crime and exerting greater control over exempt accommodation.”

“We are delighted with the huge turnout… this lively event sends a clear message that Erdington wants to see more success by our local authorities in dealing with low-level crime and exerting greater control over Exempt Accommodation.

“The point of the meeting was to bring understanding of the challenges.

“We achieved that somewhat. After today, we will work with Councillor Mick Brown of Gravelly Hill, Community Support and Development Officer Rachel West of BCC and Rev Chris Seeley of St Chad’s to establish a formal community organisation.

“The flawed financial model around HMOs, which favours enterprise, risks letting Erdington slide further into destitution and casting it as the Skid Row of Great Britain.”

Were you at this community meeting? Did you feel the issues were addressed well, or did you think the speakers left more questions than answers?

Whatever your thoughts, we’d love to hear them – please email: [email protected]

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NEWS: Last tickets available for community meeting on 20 June, after ‘huge response’ from local residents

Words by Ed King

Organisers of a community meeting to address ‘issues of common concern’ across the Erdington constituency are encouraging people to book their free place quickly if they want to attend – as only the last few free tickets are available, following a “huge response” from local residents.

Set for 20 June at Six Ways Baptist Church, Erdington, the meeting will start at 7pm – with teas and coffees available to welcome people from 6:30pm.

To secure your free ticket, simply email your name and contact information to the organisers at [email protected]

Organisers are hoping the 20 June meeting will also be a chance to ”show the positive side” of local governance and encourage “a better understanding” of issues that affect many in the community.

Three key topics will be on the agenda: understanding the HMOs and exempt accommodation model, what steps the local police are taking to tackle low-level crime and anti-social behaviour, and how the long running Neighbourhood Watch scheme can be an effective support for local resoidents and communities.

With a focus on positive discussions and strengthening links between the local community and authorities, the message from the meeting organisers is simple: ‘strong community breeds safe neighbourhoods’.

The first speakers will be from Birmingham City Council (BCC) addressing concerns over HMOs and exempt accommodation. They will include BCC’s Senior Enforcement Officer, James Fox, and Veronica Cowley and Deborah Moseley from the BCC housing team.

Talking about crime in the constituency will be West Midlands Assistant Police and Crime Commissioner, Tom McNeil, and Erdington’s Police Inspector Shameem Ahmed.

There will also be an address from Reg Banks from Neighbourhood Watch West Midlands, explaining how the long established national network can be an effective way to support communities on a local level.

Chaired by Reverend Goshawk, from Six ways Baptist Church, there will also be a chance for a Q&A session after each section – giving members of the public the chance to ask questions directly to the speakers in attendance.

Although a non-political meeting, there will also be local councillors attending including Cllr Mick Brown (Gravelly Hill, Labour) and Cllr Robert Alden (Erdington, Conservative) – however they will not be asked to address the audience directly.

There will also be a designated time for ‘free discussion with officials’ from 9:05-9:30pm after the main meeting – allowing time for members of the public to engage with the local representatives in attendance.

Organisers have asked Erdington Local to extend a thank you to both councillors for their support, and to Cllr Mick Brown specifically for arranging the council officers who will be presenting to the public and fielding questions.

Further thanks go to local resident Naziah Rasheed, who helped plan and publicise the event and through her network engaged the speakers from the police, and Gravelly Hill resident Karen Hannah for her input on the topics of discussion and for helping to promote the meeting.

Roger O’Kelly, coordinator of the meeting and an extensive local Neighbourhood Watch group, told Erdington Local: “We have had a huge response to this initiative and look forward to meeting the many local residents who wish to gain a better understanding of how our authorities are facing the challenges presented by the twin issues of HMOs and tackling crime.

“We have places left. To book, please drop us a line at [email protected].”

Anyone wishing to attend the 20 June meeting can register for their free place by emailing: [email protected]

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NEWS: Community meeting to address ‘issues of common concern’ across Erdington – 20 June at Six Way Baptist Church

Words by Erdington Local editorial team

A community meeting is being organised to address the ‘issues of common concern’ across Erdington, and to show ‘the positive side of local government, policing, and Neighbourhood Watch’.

Set for 7pm on Tuesday 20 June at Six Ways Baptist Church – with teas and coffees to welcome attendees from 6.30pm – three key issues will be on the agenda: HMOs and exempt accommodation, how local police tackle low-level crime, and how the Neighbourhood Watch scheme helps build communities.

Those wishing to attend are invited to register for a free ticket by emailing the organisers at [email protected]

Supported by Neighbourhood Watch and Birmingham City Council, the event aims to show how ‘strong community breeds safe neighbourhoods’ and is open to residents from all wards in the constituency.

Speaking at the meeting will be senior officials from Birmingham City Council (BCC) – including Senior Housing Modernisation Manager, Collette Campbell, and Senior Enforcement Officer, James Fox.

With problem HMOs cited as a constant concern for many local residents, organisers want the meeting to help people better understand both the need and management of the prevalent social housing system – whilst having an opportunity to ask questions directly to Council officials who work on tackling the issues.

Crime will also be on the agenda, with Assistant Police and Crime Commissioner Tom McNeil talking about initiatives from West Midlands Police that tackle the causes of criminality and anti-social behaviour.

Mr McNeil has previously spearheaded a campaign on Erdington High Street to address the roots of crime that keep people in the loop of reoffending, including many of the social and economic causes such as financial instability and substance abuse issues.

At the Strategic Policing Crime Board meeting in February, he told: “We radically reduced reoffending, we saved retailers on Erdington High Street hundreds of thousands of pounds, and we reduced victimisation. But the job is not finished there and we need retailers to really buy into this…

“There are seeds of hope there, with programmes that really work. Because even with an improved police response you absolutely cannot police your way out of all of this. So, we need these high quality rehabilitation programmes.”

Rounding off the guest speakers will be Reg Banks from Neighbourhood Watch West Midlands, explaining how the long established national network can be an effective way to support communities on a local level.

Neighbourhood Watch UK was founded over 40 years ago and is the largest voluntary crime prevention movement in England and Wales, with over 2.3 million local members.

Further speakers from the Council and West Midlands Police have been invited, and Erdington Local will be publishing a follow up article online with the full list of those who confirm their attendance.

Roger O’Kelly, coordinator of the meeting and an extensive local Neighbourhood Watch group, told Erdington Local: “I feel Erdington needed a forum to discuss certain issues of common concern.

“The purpose of our meeting is to bring a clear understanding of three particular issues that affect the local community: how HMOs with the exemption model work; the challenges police face with low-level crime; and how Neighbourhood Watch is uniting communities through networks.

“We believe that strong communities create safe neighbourhoods. That means shifting the mindset of neighbourhood concerns to one of an open-hearted and joined-up community that seeks to appreciate local challenges and how they are being met.”

Anyone wishing to attend the 20 June meeting can register for their free place by emailing: [email protected] – or turn to the back page for more information from the organisers.