Background

Official Launch

On Tuesday 7th June 2005, the East End Housing Associations Regeneration Forum was officially launched at Milnbank Housing Association Community Hall. The event was attended by over 40 representatives from the community and organisations involved in wider community regeneration across the East End. People attending were given presentations on the Clyde Gateway/ M74 development and on the purpose of the forum. The event also gave people the opportunity to discuss the future role of the forum and its wider aims and objectives.

The forum is an initiative by 5 Registered Social Landlords (RSL's) in the East End. Its purpose is to develop a collaborative approach to expanding the RSL's strategic role in delivering wider community regeneration in the East End. A full time co-ordinator is employed to support the RSL's and their local partners in establishing the forum.

The forum is particularly relevant to the delivery of the Community Planning Partnerships in the East End. The establishment of the forum will allow the RSL's and their partners to form collective views on key issues and give other agencies a single contact point. This will improve joint working and communication.

Over the next few years the East End will be affected in a major way by several large scale regeneration projects. It is vital the East End Communities are well placed to grasp the opportunities that this regeneration will create. The RSL's with their partners have a contribution to make towards achieving this.

Attended by over 40 representatives

Representatives included people from organisations involved in:

• Housing (in addition to the initial 5HA's on the steering group representatives attended from: Milnbank LHO, Reidvale HA, Keystone TMH Ltd, Tenant Controlled Housing, Housing Wider Action, East End Community Homes and GHA).
• Education
• Community safety
• Health
• Community development
• Tenant Management Committees
• Training / Employment
• Youth work
• Childcare
• Funding

After the presentations people were organised into discussion groups and asked to consider the following:

• Review the aims / objectives for the forum
• Wider role priorities
• Identify themes and potential areas of work
• Generate expressions of interest
• Plan appropriate timetable

Aims and Objectives

The feedback from all of the groups was fairly positive and that the aims and objectives were fairly clear. A few caveats were attached to the strategic positioning of the forum in terms of existing forums and activities being undertaken in the East End. However the majority of participants felt it was important for the forum to work in partnership with all the other bodies involved in regeneration. People also felt that the forum should be careful not to try to do too much and that it would be best to identify a few things that we can do in a fairly short timescale and deliver.

Everyone felt that if all the HA's and partners concentrate on the same thing then the impact will be huge.

Wider Role Priorities

Most people acknowledged that the wider role can lead to a remit that is too wide and unachievable. Participants highlighted that there are many others involved in regeneration across the East End. This led to the question of how will the forum link with those organisations?

The issues of young people, community safety, childcare, training and employment, health, education, facilities and volunteering appeared to be the areas that people felt strongly about. Most felt that the HA's have the opportunity to make an impact both in the short and long term.

Identify themes / potential areas of work

Participants felt that the themes were interlinked and perhaps some could be combined. In addition to the previously mentioned wider role priorities other potential areas of work included the environment, the elderly, lone parents, transport, encouragement of more community participation, licensing, provision of facilities etc.

People felt that the forum should have a role in influencing politicians / lobbying for more resources.

People also felt that information sharing is a key objective for the forum.

Engaging with community planning to ensure that the forum influence matters.

Generate expressions of interest

People on the whole were keen on expressing an interest and becoming involved. The next step for the steering group and the forum is how to take it forward.

People wanted to emphasise to the Steering Group / Executive Committee:

• The importance of linking with existing structures across the East End
• The opportunities to look at and learn from good practice elsewhere, but also good practice locally

Clarification of the role of forum members

Some were concerned to know whether this was simply a role of consultation or whether they were expected to take action. They felt that other organisations could well be involved in the forum, although would prefer to know in advance what obligations accompanied forum membership / inclusion.

• Questions about the importance of community involvement in the forum
• Police would want to work in support of issues raised through the forum
• Need to relate to the community, let people know aims of the forum

Plan appropriate timetable

People acknowledged timing was critical and that it was important to show early results whilst also recognising the importance of long term sustainability of forum priorities.

Some people felt it would be good to have two or three meetings by Xmas.

Others felt meeting should be two monthly with HA's / Partners sharing costs etc to host the meeting.? This could be done on a rota basis with dates being put in advance.

Conclusion

The steering group was asked to review this brief report for discussion at their meeting on 22nd June 2005.

Last modified: 13 April 2006

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