Topic: Connecting people and their communities. Is it real power for real people?

[Steve Wakefield]

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Hi All

Hope this will be of some interest to the debate? Perhaps readers will be interested in letting your relevant cluster know what you think about your play area, or if that fails contact Cllr Garry Perkins or e mail play builder.

Refurbishment of 22 play areas in (phases).

Existing fixed play areas that are out of date or run down have already been identified and will be transformed during the next two years as part of the Play Builder Project, with the first revamp starting at St Marks Recreation Ground on Tuesday May 26.

The 22 sites were chosen following an extensive survey of all playgrounds in the borough. They had to meet set criteria, which focused on the site age, condition and current play value, as well as its location within the borough. New climbing frames, swings, and areas for natural play are just some of the improvements that could be made to freshen up the sites,  meet the play needs of children and make them more child friendly. 

The first phase of work will see the following play areas earmarked for refurbishment over the next 6 months:

St Marks Recreation Ground
Basil Close
Pinehurst West
Pembroke Recreation Ground
Snodshill Park
Liden Green
 
A public consultation is currently underway to find out what facilities local people would like to see at each site before any decisions are made. As part of this, children will be contacted via schools and clubs to have their say on how the funding is spent. Residents and various stakeholders can also give their views through a number of events planned to take place during the consultation process.

Cllr Garry Perkins, Cabinet Member for Children Services, said: “We found out in December that funding would be coming our way so we are delighted that we can finally move forward and put our plans into action. We would like these play areas to be vibrant, exciting and fun for the children, and to ensure we are making the right decisions we need members of the local community to get involved and tell us what they think.”

Funding for the Play Builder Project comes from the Department for Children, Schools and Families. The council bid for this money via Play England , and it is part of a £235 million investment in play areas across the country.

The revamp is also in line with the council’s Play Strategy, which aims to ultimately improve and increase children and young peoples play opportunities and experiences by expanding the areas of the public realm where all children and young people feel safe and welcomed.

Anyone wishing to find out more information about the Play Builder Project can visit the council’s play web page at www.swindon.gov.uk/playparks and click on the link to the Play Builder page. Alternatively, to give feedback or to contact the project team, please email playbuilder@swindon.gov.uk


( I have lived in West swindon for 22 years and I love it)

[Muggins]

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Just what we've been telling 'em.

CPCP means nothing to ordinarly people.

Connecting People might mean something, because most people know the meaning of 'connecting' and 'people', but the menaing of the two words together? It could be a dating agency.

Most people would not turn out to a meeting with that on the agenda unless they already had a smattering of what it's about.

Reference the attendance and claims of attendance at SBC things. Another thing we have been going on about.  At every SSP conference they say that the audience is made up almost entirely of volunteers and true comunity people - they are not.  Will come back to you with figures on that!

[swindonlinkman]

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Re: West Forum attendance. The majority at the meeting live in the area. Three residents including myself, plus Junab, Steve Wakefield, Nick and Mary Martin, Keith Williams, Peter Greenhalgh, Mick Bray

[ZPW]

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Just what we've been telling 'em.

CPCP means nothing to ordinarly people.

Muggins. How right,spot on and exactly correct you are.

Hi All

Hello

Hope this will be of some interest to the debate? Perhaps readers will be interested in letting your relevant cluster know what you think about your play area, or if that fails contact Cllr Garry Perkins or e mail play builder.

What followed in your post is, ithink, of very great interest to lots and lots and lots of people.
Thank you for letting us all know.

But...
here we are still with some enaging people who want to cluster with their fellow clustees and they haven't got the faintest idea how to.
I feel like I'm drowning not waving..
Is there no.one out there slightly clusteral that can either
Fix the EssBeeSee website to include  the dates and venues for all Clusters
or... as that feels like a very huge soggy turbid mass of improbability
post here where people are engaged, the same info?

Is there anyone in charge?

[Muggins]

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Me, Me, I like to be in charge! but not at SBC.

The public cluster meetings are due to start in September I think.  I only know because I keep my ear to the ground and read every conceivable thing I can with the words Connecting People in it. the meetings they are holding at the moment are to get the cluster councillors together, etc.

You don't have to wait until they organise their clusters to cluster with your fellow man - or woman.  Start your own forum up - we did, in 1994. Meet down the pub if you have to. Get clustering in your community and then come as a gang, whoops, sorry, group, to their cluster. 

By the way the Swifts are back. Wonder how far they had to fly?

[karen leakey]

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I attended the Stronger Community Forum at Steam last night - the forum is for people belonging to a group either voluntary, community, club or society to meet up and share information on grants/funding/share news etc and give the Council feedback.  It will also give updates on how Connecting People - Connecting Places is going.

One of the initiatives SBC are setting up is a skills/resource sharing database called, 'Swindon Support' .
You can register yourself or your groups skills with SBC and if another group is starting up or needs advise/help the Council can match the talents required with the talent on offer and then a payment will be made to the group the person giving the help is representing.


There was an update on Council Services:  Environment, Regeneration and Community Services:  (have cut and pasted information).


     Outline of Environment, Regeneration & Community Services


The Environment, Regeneration & Community Group Directorate is comprised of the following five Directorates: Economic & Cultural Development, Street Smart, Planning & Transport, Regulatory Services and Community.


Economic & Cultural Development: is responsible for promoting
inward investment and developing links with the business community and for making culture visible, valued, enjoyed and easily accessed
by the people of Swindon.


StreetSmart: is responsible for Highway Maintenance, Street Lighting, street care and cleaning, Civil Enforcement – Parking, Waste and Recycling, Grounds Maintenance, Fly Tipping and Graffiti.


Regulatory Services: is responsible for Commercial Regulation (Food safety, Infectious Disease, Consumer Protection, Trading Standards, Under Age
Sales, Health Promotion),
Licensing (Alcohol, gambling and miscellaneous licences – but not taxi licensing), Residential Services (Private sector housing, Disabled Facility Grants, Renovation Grants, Home Energy Conservation, Private sector drainage and Pest Control) and Environmental Enforcement (Animal Welfare, Pest control, noise, pollution, fly tipping).


Planning & Transport: is responsible for transport and strategic planning, regenerating the town centre & local communities, sustainable development, planning applications, highway management, casualty & congestion reduction and transport delivery management.


Community: responsible for the Community Safety Partnership: This includes the partnership arrangements for reduction of crime; investigation of anti-social behaviour complaints; domestic violence partnership coordination;drug and alcohol treatment programmes. These carry out the statutory function of a Drug and Alcohol Action Team (DAAT).
Learning & Engagement Team: This team has responsibility for delivery of adult, family and community learning programmes; community engagement programmes – including Learning Ambassadors and Health Ambassadors; community development programmes working with minority ethnic groups; community cohesion partnership arrangements; Community Grants; third sector development programmes; community centres and social halls.

[Mart]

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A sea of impressive initiatives, bit of extrapolation and I reckon they could involve as many as 20 - 30 residents in total.

community cohesion partnership arrangements!!!!!

Doing fabulously except for the cohesion of partnerships in the community and arrangements thereof, bloody intiatives breed like rabbits but are less tasty and do not lend themselves to a suet crust. Regrettably.

All I want to know is where I can go to a cluster meeting of people who live in Old Town, Central or Eastcott, I feel I need to engage, involve and probably swear a bit but not to the point where I am ejected.

My councillor has gone to ground, suspect aliens again to be honest.

Wood! Where are you, you evasive scamp?

There will be extra probing if you do not return to Earth immediately.

[Steve Wakefield]

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Zip

I think that the Person who has CPCP in their portfolio may be  Cllr Brian Mattock. There are also Cluster Leads these are Directors, but this government initiative is to make local councillors accountable and to work with ordinary people in scrutinising the Executive. So like many things that this government has done with local government/public sector legislation it's difficult to actually determine who is in charge. The legislation that is relevant to how councils will work in future when councllors can use a new mechanism  called the "Councillors Call to Action"  information is in the following (for starters):

Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 (this is a right riveting read all 39 pages and even explains how councils can change their electoral arrangements (cycle) as well as forming parishes and new councils) All hidden in an inoquotous bit of "Health" legislation.

Then read this memo which passed into law on 12th december 2008 effective from 1st April 2009.

Read the memo:EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM TO THE OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY (REFERENCE BY COUNCILLORS) (EXCLUDED MATTERS) (ENGLAND) ORDER 2008 2008 No. 3261 (The Instrument)

There is pages of the stuff on OPSI, (Office Of Public Sector Information) all to do with community call for action and Councillors call for action. Read it Zip ( I hope the public do) see what you make of it, I am sure you will enjoy it, as its crafted really well; but hey that may depend on your view point.

Its going to be a brave new world for councillors and the community!!!! I would strongly advise that you also read up on  "The role of the modern councillor". There is so much new stuff coming down the line, its mind boggling. As I said before  all councillors will have to up their game, to keep up with the changes.

As a ward councillor  I am looking forward to it all.

[karen leakey]

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I was remiss when posting yesterday - about the Stronger Communities Forum.
One of the best part's was near the end - called  "The Nix Effect".

Alan Nix from the Lawn Community Association gave a talk on successful volunteering,
Alan was really inspiring and has over 80 volunteers on his books. 

I think there are many people like Alan who can be of great help to other people who volunteer
in groups, clubs and associations - came away very inspired.
 

 

[Mart]

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I was thinking.

How about if you had to attend a community event or Council meeting annually to be allowed to vote? You had to participate in the process to participate in the process as it were. More dignity and less harmful than a doughnut bribe.

How many councillors would lose the right to vote? (snigger, wanton mischievous and unhelpful, funny all the same)

All these people saying clusters exist with much the same vigour as gordnon saw WMD in Iraq, with about much hope as finding any at this rate.

[Muggins]

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The disucssions on this thread have pre-empted the Clusters, if you look back to the start, we barely knew what ward would be in what cluster and had no idea how they meant to continue or who would be the lead - so fear not Mart - they are coming!  I was hoping that someone would see that they aren't really needed to do the job they will be doing.  They won't attract that many more people than are out and active now.  They are supposed to be about engaging more people so you would think that they would offer something different and all that's different is - well no, there is no or very little difference to the old Local Area Panels.

Local Area Panels??? you ask.  Well there you go then, only the people that went to them will remember them and that's not many of us.

ps the 'engagement is needed to eventually get more people out to vote, stand as Councillor and or MP.  That's so we all have more than one person to choose from.

Participation being at an all time low.

[swindonlinkman]

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Is it too optimistic to think, that out of the parliamentary expenses scandal, that the anger amongst the populus will be translated in greater awareness of the political process, more involvement and willingness to run for election?

Connecting people and their communities is the Swindon BC interpretation of the government White Paper Communities in control: Real people, real power: Changing Council Governance Arrangements – Mayors and Indirectly Elected Leaders. A Consultation (note the avoidance of connecting people and power). It starts:
1.1 The white paper, Communities in Control: Real people, real power, is about passing power into the hands of citizens and communities. It sets out a range of policies to achieve this, building on work in progress from the 2006 Local Government white paper, Strong and Prosperous Communities.

1.2 This is part of the Government’s wider agenda to modernise our democratic system, to strengthen participatory democracy and, through the Communities in Control white paper, to deliver genuine empowerment to local people and local communities – passing more power to more people through every practical means. Central to this is a vibrant local democracy, at the heart of which are councils – providing strategic leadership, delivering services and empowering communities.

Read the rest in attached pdf


[oversized attachment  >200k deleted by admin]

[Alex]

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Is it too optimistic to think, that out of the parliamentary expenses scandal, that the anger amongst the populus will be translated in greater awareness of the political process, more involvement and willingness to run for election?

Connecting people and their communities is the Swindon BC interpretation of the government White Paper Communities in control: Real people, real power: Changing Council Governance Arrangements – Mayors and Indirectly Elected Leaders. A Consultation (note the avoidance of connecting people and power). It starts:
1.1 The white paper, Communities in Control: Real people, real power, is about passing power into the hands of citizens and communities. It sets out a range of policies to achieve this, building on work in progress from the 2006 Local Government white paper, Strong and Prosperous Communities.

1.2 This is part of the Government’s wider agenda to modernise our democratic system, to strengthen participatory democracy and, through the Communities in Control white paper, to deliver genuine empowerment to local people and local communities – passing more power to more people through every practical means. Central to this is a vibrant local democracy, at the heart of which are councils – providing strategic leadership, delivering services and empowering communities.

Read the rest in attached pdf

Yes.

In my experience as an "engaged " kind of person- it seems that every "community" I join and attempt to  participate in is, by some authority or other, within a couple of years annihilated. It kind of saps your energy, starting all over again each time. 
 It's either  the PCT, SBC, University of Bath in Swindon - reorganising or  saving costs or changing the goal posts so that finding dries up and the community that was created and supporting all sorts of different people suddenly isn't anymore.  THis is quite a timely post as I'm off to the farewell to the Well Woman Centre tonight- which, incidentally aslo helped men too at the Man@WWC - but trying to get the publicity out to tell peopel it was there wasn't always as successful as we'd hoped.

Now as a "Friend  of Artsite" I'm expecting it all to go pear shaped imminently. The 3 inches of water still coming up through the floor is doing its damdest to kill off any workshops we try to put on, but we aren't beaten yet. Shame that SBC or Swindon Partnership, or whoever it is that's responsible for making it safe hasn't been able to solve this one.
Hope I'm not doing another Titanic (or do I mean Marie Celeste)  by merely being involved...

As for standing for election, I  can't see many people  having enough energy left over to stand for any kind of election and and risk osing their job if they aren't elected unless they are already jobless- many people just don't have time. Their perception seems to be that their employers are almost forcing them to work excessive hours just to be allowed to remain in them. Presenteeism is on the increase and isn't healthy. THe financial climate seems to be forcing people to lead unbalanced lives so that it only leaves those who've taken  redundancy or early retirement (if the've got a pension left to take) that would have the time to do it.

[kecl]

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Local Area Panels??? you ask.  Well there you go then, only the people that went to them will remember them and that's not many of us.

Ooh, ooh, I remember those, even went to a few myself. Never felt they did any good though - Deja vu  CPCP?

[Steve Wakefield]

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kecl

You have made a good point, but in Broad Green the community there is an established community council and it did a lot of good work in the streets for living project, as I remember. I think it was there long before APs am I correct?

[Mart]

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Still wandering in an unconnected wasteland.

And wondering.

Councillor helloooooo!

Anyone hear an echo?

[kecl]

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kecl

You have made a good point, but in Broad Green the community there is an established community council and it did a lot of good work in the streets for living project, as I remember. I think it was there long before APs am I correct?

You are correct Steve, the BSACC constitution was adopted in December 1972 (when Murray-John was still the Town Clerk) and yes, amongst our recent good work, S4L is included.

[Geoff Reid]

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Still wandering in an unconnected wasteland.

And wondering.

Councillor helloooooo!

Anyone hear an echo?

A waste of time in Eastcott I fear.

Eastcott: The ward where 33% of it's councillors are absent from 70% of meetings they should attend. Where another 33% of it's councillors are struck mute upon entering the council chamber and the remaining third, (although not a Richard), speaks well in the chamber but is quiet outside - an agoraphobic mute?

In any event, I don't envy the political representation, (or lack of), available to the residents of Eastcott.....looks like a political fusion of the Three Stooges and Three Wise Monkeys to me*  



* Although neither funny or very wise.

 

[Mart]

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No wonder we're getting permeated.

And shafted on parking.

And rogered on wheelie bins.

I reckon our representatives may be tory sleepers.....

[karen leakey]

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Mart,  Mark Walker who is our 'Cluster Lead' came along to the Broadgreen fun afternoon we had for a few minutes (he was invited by our Police Beat Manager). 

He has agreed to attend the next Broad Street Area Community Council meeting (next week).  Tomorrow we have a Tasking group - I will ask the 2 Central Ward Councillors what is going on and get back to you.