APPENDIX 1

BIRCHWOOD AREA PROFILE

Contents Introduction

Geography of the area Population Ethnicity Deprivation The Community View Crime Housing Education Income Employment

The ‘Cyclical Relationship’: A Summary Conclusions

BIRCHWOOD AREA PROFILE

What is the Purpose of an Area Profile? An area profile provides a detailed summary of the socio- economic, cultural and geographical qualities on a grass roots level. It provides an opportunity to amalgamate all the relevant statistical and qualitative information from a wide array of sources. This data is then analysed further to look for trends and prioritise areas of concern within the specific ward.

The cyclical nature of deprivation and the interaction between domains is highlighted further on a ward basis. It is hoped that by isolating one factor at a time, policy recommendations and means for improvement are acknowledged. Therefore decision-making is informed and resources can be allocated correctly depending on the performance of key indicators. Neighbourhood management is a means of diversifying local authorities approach to neighbourhood renewal with participation from residents and support from necessary organisations. Indeed neighbourhood management does not work alone it is part of a strategic framework. The over all aim of the scheme is to ‘create and maintain sustainable cohesive neighbourhoods, where nobody is disadvantaged just because of where they live’.1 Thus by distinguishing a ward and SOA from Lincoln city as a whole, an area’s priorities are recognised and can be tackled accordingly, assisting the city as a whole. The neighbourhood manager coordinates and manages the local service area with an emphasis on prevention and strategic priorities.

What Issues are Explored?

The key indicators that form the main structure of this document are outlined below:

Population

Ethnicity

Income

Education

Health

Crime

Community views and involvement

Housing

Employment Although these sectors are highlighted individually for the purpose of detailed analysis, they all work in tandem with each other. For instance, poor health may be a consequence of low quality housing and accessibility to local services, which in turn may be caused by worklessness. Similarly low educational attainment will lead to a community with a high pool of unskilled workers, whose income is low and therefore standards of housing and health suffers accordingly. It is a cyclical relationship, where deprivation in one form may lead to multiple deprivation affecting a far wider service area and precipitating a negative view of the community, which will affect the mindset of future generations, and the cycle begins again.

1 Notes from Lincolnshire Police: Neighbourhood Management, Lincolnshire Police (January 2007)

The primary focus is on local issues and the ramifications for local people. To gauge the extent of the problem, comparisons are drawn with other wards and on a local authority level also. What Sources are Used? Information was extracted from the following sources:

Census 2001

National Customer Satisfaction Survey 2005-2006

Index of Multiple Deprivation 2004

British Crime Survey 2005/06- 2006/07

Crime Audit 2001/02- 2003/04

Neighbourhood Statistics

Office of the Deputy Prime Minister

City Council Planning Services

Department for Work and Pensions

Ofsted Reports

Department for Educational Services

Neighbourhood Audits 2003

Limitations of the Data The population of Lincoln and its wards does not remain static. Therefore once statistics are published, they are instantly out of date and the worth of the data is questionable as time passes. However the Census 2001 provides a wealth of data that is not easily accessible elsewhere and thus is an important insight into the population dynamics of individual SOA’s. Similarly there are problems regarding the classification of multiple deprivation used in the Indices for Multiple Deprivation 2004. It was suggested by the Department for Communities and Local Government in 2004, that it may not provide a wholly accurate picture of deprivation within the ward and is too presumptuous. This is because the IMD places weights on the separate domains and judges employment and income domains as the most important and therefore have an increased weighting. However this is disputed in a paper for the Department of Communities and Local Government, published 22nd May 2007, which stated more importance should be given to the health domain, as this is what the government is allocating more resources to. The National Customer Satisfaction Survey piloted in 2005-2006, is a means of assessing the qualitative perspective of residents on a grassroots level, essential when gauging the priorities of local people in local areas. However the sample of respondents was very small and based around the Citizen Panel, which raises questions of representation. The format of the survey was to use closed questions, which allows greater analysis of results but limits the independence and extent of ‘customer’ feedback. It was also necessary to investigate how many people answered each question in order to assess the significance of the response received. The extent to which data is available on SOA level is limited. For instance, crime data extracted from the Audit and British Crime Survey is indicative of ward crime levels only and does not highlight hotspots or repeat locations for crime across the SOA’s or beats. The same is true of the health data received from the PCT, which concentrates on ward level and does not show the number of certain types of diseases evident in SOA’s. However the quality of the data at SOA level is

questionable for certain diseases as the statistical significance would be exaggerated and the numbers too small for analytical comparisons to be drawn.

Local Geography

Birchwood is located towards the South of the city and is comprised of five Super Output Areas (SOA’s). Two of Birchwood’s SOA’s 27 and 29 in the North West of the ward, feature in the LSP’s top twenty neighbourhood priorities and key indicators suggest multiple deprivation in these areas. SOA 27 includes Woodfield Avenue, Dellfield Avenue, Jasmine Road and Staverton Crescent. SOA 29 runs from the edge of the city and includes the bypass, Camwood Crescent, the corner of Woodfield Avenue, Mildenhall Drive and Aberporth Drive.

Map of Birchwood Ward Boundary and SOA’s.

Source: Neighbourhood Statistics Website

Open Space The amount of open space located in the ward is plentiful but access to it is limited. There are 3 lakes situated to the North but local residents privately own the land. Similarly the large woodland lining the West boundary (52.4 hectares), termed Hospital Plantation is ‘non- operational’, consequently the land is not managed and complaints regarding young people on BMX bikes, litter and anti-social behaviour in the area are commonplace. Birchwood Nature Park offers grassland, Birch and Oak woodland, scrub and a seasonal pond, all maintained by the rangers from Hartsholme. This space is limited to 4.5 hectares though and forms one of the city’s smaller green spaces. Residents of Birchwood will of course venture outside the ward to utilise nearby resources such as Hartsholme Country Park and Boultham lakes.

There are several green areas designated for children and young people within the ward, which has a total of … play areas, all located within the priority SOA’s. The large number of local primary schools means there are also a high proportion of playing fields. However the extent to which these fields can be accessed out of school hours and term time is questionable. Presently there are no allotments in the ward and the demand for such has not yet been tested.

Amenities

Birchwood Access Centre provides a community forum and access to computers encouraging basic numeracy and literacy courses. The Learning Community Project was piloted in this ward in 2005 with an aim to assist in

the growth of skills necessary to sustain the local community. It also

advocates a volunteer development programme and ‘Access Projects’ to support the elderly.

Birchwood Community and Leisure Centre consists of a sports hall, 3 meeting rooms, squash courts, changing rooms and showers. To the exterior there are football pitches, a floodlit all weather multi use games area and two large car parks for patrons.

Birchwood Shopping Centre located on Jasmin Road offers local residents a limited range of shops and services. It is the only commercial area in a predominantly residential ward.

Sure Start opened in 2003 and caters for children in the age group 0-4 years and is a central government initiative.

Birchwood Library is a hub for the local community offering lending, a computer suite, adult education sessions and a community room. It also attracts users from the South of the city and North Hykeham area.

Population Dynamics

Source: National Census 2001 Birchwood ward accounts for 9% of Lincoln’s total population and is more densely populated than the average for the whole city with 41.29 people per hectare. In terms of the individual SOA's, SOA 27 has a population density over 3 times higher than the total for Lincoln as local authority area. What repercussions does this have for local services and accessibility? If the population is examined in terms of the age groups at either end of the spectrum, it is clear that under 16’s are over represented in Birchwood compared to theCity. In Lincoln as a whole, 20.10% of the population are under 16, yet the total for Birchwood is 25.10%. The proportion of young people aged under 16 is higher still in SOA 29, which is 7% above the average for Lincoln. Similarly, there is an imbalance in the number of over 65’s living in the ward, with 52% located within SOA 28 and 30. In comparison, SOA 29 has only 82 residents over 65 and this equates to 107 less than the ward average.

SOA Total Population Men Women Over 65's Under 16's Population Density

SOA 27 1,493 720 773 187 469 75.94

SOA28 1,648 799 849 246 335 17.47

SOA 29 1,644 758 886 82 540 36.19

SOA 30 1,526 771 755 243 262 27.81

SOA 31 1,489 716 773 187 378 49.04

% of total population that are men= 48%

% of total population that are women= 52%

% of total population that are over 65= 12%

% of total population that are under 16= 25%

County/ward Total Population Men Women Over 65's Under 16's Population Density

Lincoln 85,595 41,695 43,900 13,173 17,213 23.98

Birchwood 7,800 3,764 4,036 945 1,984 41.29

SO

A 2

7

SO

A28

SO

A 2

9

SO

A 3

0

SO

A 3

1

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

% o

f p

op

ula

tio

n

SOA's

Population Composition of Birchwood ward

16-65

Under 16's

Over 65's

Ethnicity

Source: National Census 2001 The ward has slightly more white residents than the city as a whole and as such is not as ethically diverse. This is particularly the case in terms of the Chinese population who form the smallest ethnic minority in Birchwood, with 21 residents compared to 445 for Lincoln. In the National Customer Satisfaction Survey undertaken by the citizen panel in October-November 2005, only 55.1% definitely agreed or agreed with the idea that ethnic differences are respected. This is in contrast to 58.7% of respondents who agree or definitely agree in the city as a whole.

Ward White Mixed (All) Asian (All) Black (All) Chinese (All)

Birchwood 98.3 0.7 0.47 0.24 0.28

Lincoln 97.8 0.7 0.71 0.27 0.52

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

Number of people

Mixed (All) Asian (All) Black (All)_ Chinese(All)

Ethnicity

A comparison of ethnic minorities in Birchwood ward and

Lincoln.

Lincoln

Birchwood

% of people in ward and city that belong to each ethnic group.

Ethnic Minorities

Source: National Census 2001 The priority neighbourhoods SOA 27 and 29 are the least ethnically diverse with only 17% of the wards non- white population residing there. In contrast, SOA 30 has the majority of Chinese and Asian people and SOA 31 has the most mixed and black people. Is there a positive relationship between ethic diversity and increased social capital, which in turn combats deprivation? However the data is extracted from the 2001 census and does have its drawbacks. Certainly population figures and the ethnic make-up of the community do not remain static and will have fluctuated in the six years, which have elapsed. There have been changes to European Union membership which has led to fluid movement particularly from Eastern European countries and as a result the number of Birchwood’s population whose mother tongue is not English may have increased. To what extent are these ethnic groups integrated into the Birchwood local community?

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

SOA 27 SOA28 SOA 29 SOA 30 SOA 31

SOA's

Ethnic Minorities in Birchwood SOA's

Mixed (All)

Asian (All)

Black (All)

Chinese (All)

SOA Mixed (All) Asian (All) Black (All) Chinese (All)

SOA 27 6 0 3 3

SOA28 6 3 3 3

SOA 29 3 3 0 0

SOA 30 12 26 3 15

SOA 31 29 3 6 0

Lincoln 599 608 231 445

Deprivation

‘A compositional measure’ based on 7 domains and founded upon the theory that unemployment and income deprivation serve as the catalyst for deprivation in multiple areas and greater weight is placed on them when calculating the indices.

Source: Index of Multiple Deprivation 2004

The living environment and housing/services indicators have not been included in the data listed, as Birchwood did not rank as deprived in any way in these areas.

Domain SOA27 SOA28 SOA29 SOA30 SOA31

Health Deprivation and Disability Top 10% * Top 5% * Top 20%

Education, skills and training deprivation Top 10% * Top 5% * *

Income Deprivation Top 10% * Top 5% * *

Employment Deprivation Top 20% * Top 10% * *

Crime Top 20% Top 10% Top 20% * *

Mulitple Deprivation Top 10% Top 5% * *

* indicates where the SOA does not fall into the top 20% of deprived areas.

SOA 29 Top 5%: Health, education& income. Top 10%: Employment Top 20%: Crime

SOA 27 Top 10%: Health, education, and income. Top 20%: Employment and crime

Health, education and crime are the priority areas for the ward and the need to combat deprivation is greatest in SOA’s 27 and 29.

The Community View A pilot National Customer Satisfaction Survey was commissioned in each Lincoln ward during October- November 2005. The majority of questions were based around the 2003-2004 National Survey composed by central government and test levels of satisfaction with local services. In addition, the surveys also create a brief over view of what life in the local community is like. The surveys were completed by the Citizens Panel, which consists of 1,000 local residents from a variety of wards and different socio- economic and cultural experiences, thus reflecting the diversity of life in Lincoln. On a city scale 592 of the 1,000 responded and of these 60 lived in Birchwood ward. Although the number of respondents is small, accounting for only 0.76% of Birchwood’s total population, it does provide a deeper insight into the extent of local feeling on issues that directly affect them and means of improving the area. These results are for the whole ward but it would be interesting to break these down further into individual SOA’s. One would expect the priority neighbourhoods SOA 27 and 29 to feel less involved in local decisions and perhaps bear the opinion that their neighbourhood had degenerated in the last 2 years, as they are more likely to be suffering multiple deprivations. Satisfaction With the Ability to Influence Local Decisions

Although 60 people participated in the survey, only 42 of them answered this question. The results suggest that a large proportion of the respondents were either fairly/ very dissatisfied or did not feel strongly in either way that they influenced decisions in their local area. This follows a trend similar to that citywide. Does this lead to political apathy and a divided community?

How satisfied are you with the way in which you feel you can influence

decisions affecting your local area?

31%

42%

27%

Very/ fairly satisfied Neither Fairly/Very dissatisfied

Community progression

In total 7% of the 47 respondents to this question, indicated that they thought Birchwood had got better in the last two years. However the majority 93%, highlighted the opinion that their neighbourhood had either not changed or had got worse in the same period. The particular areas, in which residents feel there is scope for improvement, are outlined in the chart below.

Indeed this echoes the findings of the Neighbourhood Audit, 2003 which emphasised that ‘there did not seem to be a sense of community at the macro ward level’.2 Instead there is a clear juxtaposition between the old and new Birchwood, the local

2 Lincoln LSP Neighbourhood Audits in conjunction with Urban Challenge: Birchwood 2003, p. 16.

Do you think that over the past two years your neighbourhood has got better or

worse?

7%

36%

57%

Better Worse Not Changed

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%

% of respondents

Low level of crime& fear of crime

Services to support all of community

Clean streets

Affordable decent homes to buy

Activities for teenagers

Low traffic congestion

To

p 6

cate

go

ries

Thinking about the local area, which of the things below, if any, do you

think most need improving?

Ward 2005/06 2006/07

Abbey 1165 1241

Birchwood 671 534

Boultham 889 758

Bracebridge 277 312

Carholme 1065 946

Castle 508 551

Glebe 434 533

Hartsholme 351 351

Minster 475 443

Moorland 588 487

Park 1022 1179

Total 7445 7335

authority housing estates with a strong community ethos and the newer homes with little local unity. The chart above comprises the top 6 responses out of the 20 subject categories provided for residents to choose from. A clear priority from these results is the need to address low-level crime such as anti- social behaviour and the fear of crime in Birchwood. Hotspots for anti- social behaviour are; Birchwood Shopping Centre, Birchwood Avenue/ Fulmer Road and Forest Park. Why do young people between the ages of 8-15 years tend to congregate in these areas? Is this symptomatic of a lack of facilities and activities for this age group?

Crime The Number of Total Crimes Committed in Each Ward

Source: British Crime Survey, 2005-06- 2006/07, Lincolnshire Police The table above shows all crime figures in each of Lincoln’s wards, during the period 2005/06- 2006/07. In Birchwood there has been 137 less crimes committed in 2006/07 than 2005/06, signifying a 20% reduction. Therefore the ward performed better than Lincoln as a whole, which experienced 110, less crimes, a difference of 27 offences. Indeed the average number of crimes occurring in Lincoln 05/06 totals 677 and in 06/07 667 crimes. In both instances Birchwood had far less crimes than the average for Lincoln. However though the number of real crimes and hence the victims of such are declining within the ward, the fear of crime is on the increase. This is evident in the results of the 2005/2006 National Customer Satisfaction Survey, where 47% of respondents felt fairly or very unsafe in the dark and similarly only 12.2% of respondents felt very safe during the day compared to 23.2% for the city as a whole. Therefore the perception of crime is a concern for the residents of Birchwood ward and the rise in anti-social behaviour exacerbates this. For example when asked to outline the most common problems in their area, the top 5 answers received were; rubbish and litter, teenagers hanging around, vandalism and graffiti, drugs and drunk/rowdy behaviour.

The Crime Audit for 2001/02- 2003/04 indicates that SOA’s 27 and 29 have more than twice the district rates number of adult offenders on probation living in the area. This will inevitably have a negative impact on the perception of crime in the area and perhaps even contribute towards actual crime rates, particularly if these are found to be PPO’s and are committing crime on their doorsteps. Similarly SOA’s 27 and 29 have more than the district rate of youth offenders, yet the rest of the ward houses less than half the district rate.

However there are no prolific and priority offenders (PPO’s) at present on police beat DC01 which is coterminous with the Birchwood ward boundary. This suggests that although crime is an issue and there are a high number of offenders living within the SOA’s, offenders are managed well and persistent reoffending is low. Although PPO’s are decided via a MAPPON meeting every month and therefore it may just be the case that Birchwood offenders have not yet scored high enough on the matrix sheet to be included in this months list- acquisitive crime scores higher than other etc.

Victim Profile for Lincoln 2003-2004

Source: Crime Audit 2001/02- 2003/04, City of Lincoln Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership

Certainly the map highlights the number of victims of crime is more than the district rate in SOA 29 and less than the district rate in the rest of the ward, suggesting a positive correlation between evidence of multiple deprivation and crime.

Comparative Data Set 12: Lincoln - Victim profile 2003/04

Number of victims Lincs District

per 1,000 population 49.81 100.36

Reproduced from Ordnance Survey Mapping with permission of the controller of HMSO Crown Copyright. All rights reserved. LCC LA 076732

Under 17

18-24

25-34

35-44

45-54

55-64

65-74

75-84

85 & OverLincolnshire

0 20 40 60 80 100

AFRO-CARIBBEAN

ARAB

ASIAN

DARK EUROPEAN

ORIENTAL

UNKNOWN

WHITE EUROPEAN

Lincoln

Lincolnshire

%

Female

Male

Lincolnshire

0 1 2

miles

Lincoln

In comparison with other wards in the city, Birchwood has far less victims of crime than Abbey or Park, which have more than twice the district rate. However it is the congregation of victims in SOA 29 that poses an issue for community cohesion and crime prevention. Crime Types in Birchwood Ward

Source: British Crime Survey 2005-06- 2006/07, Lincolnshire Police The table above allows further analysis into the specific crimes being committed in Birchwood. Although it must be noted that only the most common crime types are included as they provide a comprehensive foundation for comparison. The sum of offences displayed in this table only form part of the number of all crimes committed in Birchwood. For example the Crime Audit 2001/02- 2003/04 found domestic violence to be most prevalent in SOA 29, more than twice the district rate, yet this crime type is not present in the table above.

The data indicates that acquisitive crime such as burglary dwelling and autocrime offences is decreasing in the ward. For example, theft of a motor vehicle offences have been reduced by 60% in the period 05/06- 06/07. This is in stark comparison to the trend for Lincoln as a whole, which has only seen a decline of 3% in the same crime type.

Crime Type 2005/06 2006/07 Variance

Burglary Dwelling 42 32 -24%

Common Assualt 44 47 7%

Criminal Damage 353 279 -21%

TFMV 60 40 -33%

Theft of Cycle 33 25 -24%

TOMV 35 14 -60%

Robbery 4 9 125%

Theft from Person 1 6 500%

-47

3

53

103

153

203

253

303

353

Number of Crimes

Burg

lary

Dw

elli

ng

Com

mon A

ssualt

Crim

inal D

am

age

TFM

VTheft o

f C

ycle

TO

MV

Robbery

Theft fro

m P

ers

on

Crime Type

Crime 2005/06- 2006/07

2005/06

2006/07

However in terms of offences against the person, like common assault there has

been an increase of 7%. This is marginal though when compared to a 32% rise in common assault citywide. A similar upwards trend is evident in theft from the person offences, which have increased by 500% in Birchwood ward. Contrastingly this figure has fallen by 18% on a city scale. It must be emphasised though that the percentage increases may suggest that theft from person is an escalating crime issue in the ward, the number remains comparatively low. For instance there were 41 such offences on Carholme ward and 29 on Boultham ward in the same time frame 06/07.

Housing Housing Ownership

Source: National Census 2001 There are 3,231 households in the ward, of which the number of rented and owner occupied properties varies greatly between the SOA’s. For example, 74% of those in rented council and housing association properties are located within SOA’s 27 and 29. On the other hand, there is a high proportion of owner occupied housing in SOA’s 28 and 30 with 83% and 90% respectively. This difference in housing ownership illustrates the economic divide within the ward. There is also a strong correlation between the property size and type and the ‘old/new Birchwood’ divide. For example, 28.28% of houses in the ward are terraced and 16.33% are purpose built flats, the majority are located in SOA’s 27 and 29. In contrast, 54.55% of homes are either semi detached or detached and located in the other 3 SOA’s.3

In terms of the age of properties in Birchwood, 59% have been built post 1975 but this figure is unlikely to include the majority of council rented properties in SOA’s 27 and 29. In fact Birchwood has the highest number of post 1975 properties in the city. This is set to increase further with the erection of 185 new dwellings by Haslam Homes LTD, granted with conditions by Lincoln City Council on 24/05/06. The ‘Woodfield Glebe’ development will offer 2, 3 and 4 bed properties with a guide price between 135,995 and 169,995. This will ultimately improve upon the figures for new build housing stock in Birchwood ward outlined in the table below.

3 National Census 2001

Type of Ownership SOA 27 SOA 28 SOA 29 SOA 30 SOA 31

Owner Occupied- Owns Outright 56 222 36 229 143

Owner Occupied- Owns with a Mortgage or loan 133 364 86 320 213

Owner Occupied- Shared Ownership 9 26 12 3 3

Rented from- Council 346 72 365 25 195

Rented from- Housing Association/Registered Social landlord 0 1 121 0 3

Rented from- Private Landlord or letting agency 32 42 19 26 12

Rented from- Other 45 7 29 9 27

Total 621 734 668 612 596

Changes to housing stock

Source: City of Lincoln Council, Planning Services, (Financial year 2006-2007) The new Haslam Homes will be situated in SOA 29, one of the LSP’s defined priority neighbourhoods, in close proximity to the council houses and flats on Mildenhall Drive. It is unlikely that the new build homes will attract local buyers from within the SOA, as due to the economic deprivation in the area the prices will not be deemed affordable. The extent to which this new housing estate ‘Woodfield Glebe’ will be integrated into the local community is questionable.

Education Birchwood ward has 5 primary schools, 1 nursery school and 1 special needs school. The secondary schools closest to the ward are found within Boultham, Moorland and Park wards, as highlighted in bold below.

Source: Children’s Services, Lincolnshire County Council, Performance Management Team A closer inspection of individual school’s performance and reputation within the local community is outlined below. Factors that have been taken into consideration include examination results over the period 2004-2007, the services offered, pupil dynamics and whether or not the school is subject to special measures. Ofsted inspections are utilised as indicators of a schools general progress as the inspector comments on the role of the school in the community, performance against the national curriculum, standards of teaching and opportunities for a child’s personal development. However the inspection takes place every 3 years and therefore whilst

WARD New Build Conversions TO Housing Conversions FROM Housing Demolitions Net Change

Abbey 59 1 1 0 59

Birchwood 45 0 0 0 45

Boultham 124 2 1 2 123

Bracebridge 1 0 0 0 1

Carholme 52 15 0 0 67

Castle 7 0 0 0 7

Glebe 160 0 1 0 159

Hartsholme 0 1 0 0 1

Minster 21 0 0 0 21

Moorland 1 0 0 0 1

Park 41 4 0 0 45

WARD INSTITUTION TYPE DFES

Birchwood Lincoln Birchwood Junior School Primary 2245

Birchwood Lincoln Kingsdown Nursery School Nursery 1010

Birchwood Lincoln Leslie Manser Primary School Primary 2246

Birchwood Lincoln St Hugh's Catholic Primary School Primary 3346

Birchwood Lincoln The Lancaster School Primary 5219

Birchwood Lincoln Woodlands Infant School Primary 2135

Birchwood The Fortuna Primary School Special 7031

Boultham City of Lincoln Community College Secondary 4036

Moorland Joesph Ruston Technology College Secondary 5414

Boultham Lincoln St Peter and St Paul Catholic School Secondary 5421

Park Lincoln Priory LSST Secondary 5425

some schools have had recent visits, it is difficult to allude to the progress of those schools which have last been visited for a full Section 9 inspection 3 years ago. Primary and Nursery Schools in Birchwood: Lincoln Birchwood Junior School: Source: Section 10 Inspection 13-16 January 2003 witBirchwood ward attend these 4 schools, they may venture further a field. It Birchwood Junior School has a high proportion of pupils with special educational needs (24% of pupils on roll) and very few from ethnic heritages. The report emphasised the following areas were in need of improvement; standards in English and Maths, the use of assessment and monitoring of pupils academic performance and provision for a pupil’s personal development. Woodlands Infant and Nursery School: Source: Section 5 Inspection Report, 22-23rd March 2007 Woodlands school is classed as ‘slightly smaller than the average infant and nursery school’. The majority of its pupils are white British and their awareness of other cultural elements is not well developed. Areas for improvement identified in the report were as follows; to give pupils greater involvement with setting personal targets and monitor attendance levels. Leslie Manser Primary School: Source: Section 5 Inspection Report, 28- 29th June 2007 Leslie Manser is described as an ‘average size school’ which draws the majority of its pupils from the two large housing estates on the edge of the city. A large amount of pupils are White British and have special educational needs. The report suggests the following areas for improvement; raise standards in English, maths and science and to improve the quality of the Foundation Stage curriculum to ensure clear progression through out the school years. The Lancaster School: Source: Section 5 Inspection Report, 16-17th May 2006

What the school does well:

‘The quality of teaching is good and leads to good learning’.

‘Fine provision for pupil’s moral developments and procedures for promoting good behaviour are effective’.

‘Provision for extra-curricular activities is good.’

‘Pupils with special educational needs are provided for ensuring progress’.

What the school does well:

‘Gives excellent value for money’.

‘Outstanding leadership by the head teacher and senior managers’.

‘Through out the school, pupil’s achievement is outstanding’.

What the school does well:

‘Provides a satisfactory standard of education’.

‘A caring school in which pupils work and play happily together’.

‘Good support is provided for pupils with learning difficulties’.

‘Work with local charities including the RAF make a good contribution to the community’.

What the school does well:

‘The school has made visible efforts to raise standards but positive results have not yet been seen’.

‘The nursery unit has been refurbished and provision at Foundation Stage is now satisfactory’.

‘Personal development is good’.

The Lancaster school is described as an ‘average sized infant school’ with most pupils from White British backgrounds and more than one in four has learning difficulties. The inspection report highlights the need to improve standards in English and Maths and to improve the quality of teaching. St Hugh’s Catholic Primary School: Section 10 Inspection Report, 30th June- 3rd July 2003

St Hugh’s is an average sized Roman Catholic aided school. In contrast to the other primary schools in the ward, ‘20% of St Hughes pupils travel by bus from further a field’. A high proportion of pupils has special educational needs and are from areas of socio-economic deprivation. The number of pupils from different ethnic backgrounds is average, in contrast to the other local primary schools. The report suggests that time should be balanced equally for all subjects within the curriculum. Fortuna School: Section 5 Inspection Report, 19 October 2005

Fortuna School was opened in September 2003 and is the only special school in Lincolnshire for primary aged pupils with social, emotional and behavioural problems. Currently all of the pupils on roll are males and pupils travel from all across the county to attend. Upon entering the school the attainment of pupils is lower than the national average. In conclusion the Birchwood ward has very good access to a range of primary, nursery and special needs schools. The quality of teaching and school performance at key stage 2 is extremely varied through out the schools. None of the schools within the Birchwood ward have been placed on current special measures. A similar trend is evident at key stage 3, with polarisation greatest between the top and bottom achievers. Commentary on line graphs. How are the key stages performing in terms of previous years data? The Lincoln Children and Young People Delivery plan 2007/08 shows that Birchwood was the lowest performing ward in 2006 for foundation stage. 43% of those in NEET group came from Birchwood , Glebe and Moorland in 2006 and the gap between Lincoln and the rest of the county is increasing with respect to this target area.

What the school does well:

‘Provides good value for money’.

‘The head teacher provides effective leadership’.

‘Standards are high in English, Maths and Science’.

‘The school enjoys an unusually high level of support from the local community, e.g. links with Jewish and Muslim communities give pupils the opportunity to learn more about other cultures’.

What the school does well:

‘An effective school with a strong ethos and nurturing environment. This is supported by the extended structure of a school day with a family breakfast’.

‘The head teacher provides effective leadership’.

‘Capacity for further improvement is good’.

‘Each pupil becomes a STAR as he or she learns to stop, think and act responsibly’.

Attendance Rates at Nursery, Primary and Secondary Schools That Serve the Birchwood Ward

Source: Achievement and Attainment Tables 2006, DfES

The attendance rates at an educational institution enable further analysis into the health of local pupils and highlight potential problems in the home, truancy and bullying. In this way, support and liaison with local community organisations and neighbourhood policing teams are crucial in tackling issues related to absence from school. The size of the school does not pre determine the extent of authorised or unauthorised absences. For example, although The Priory LSST has the greatest number of pupils on roll in the nearby secondary schools, it has the least number of authorised and unauthorised absences, with a total of 4.6% of sessions missed. Similarly Birchwood Junior School is the largest primary school in the ward area but have a lower proportion of sessions missed due to either type of absence than other local schools. These two schools should be recognised as templates for other local schools to adhere to, what is their approach to registration and absence from school? Contrastingly, John Ruston Technology College and the City of Lincoln Community College have the highest number of unauthorised absences. It is important to recognise that the home residence of those pupils who were absent for sessions is not provided and that the secondary schools in particular will have large pools of pupils from neighbouring wards with different causes and symptoms of deprivation. Therefore it is too simplistic to assume that a school in a deprived area will experience more absences than a school in a less deprived area. The Fortuna School has the most authorised absences with a total of 7.20%. This will be adversely affected by the fact that all of the school’s pupils have a disability or special educational needs and thus one would expect them to be more vulnerable to illness or… Another point to consider is that pupils travel from all across Lincolnshire to attend and are more likely to be affected by transport problems, which impede their ability to attend on time. The % of sessions missed due to authorised absences is 5.2% and 0.2% for unauthorised absences across Lincolnshire Local Authority area primary schools for the same period in 2006. In comparison, all Birchwood primary schools, with the exception of St Hugh’s Catholic Primary School, fall below average with a higher than average amount of absences.

SCHOOL

Number of pupils (including part-

time)

% of sessions missed due to

authorised absences

% of sessions

missed due to

unauthorised

absences

Birchwood Junior School 303 5.40% 0.60%

Leslie Manser Primary School 235 6.60% 0.40%

St Hughs Catholic Primary School 263 5.00% 0.90%

Fortuna School 30 7.20% 0.90%

The Lancaster School 191 * *

Woodlands Infant School 163 * *

Kingsdown Nursery School 89 * *

The Priory LSST 1654 4.50% 0.10%

Joseph Ruston Technology College 417 7.60% 3.30%

City of Lincoln Community College 980 7.50% 3.30%

St Peter and St Paul Catholic High School 619 8.70% 0.60%

* Information not available fromDfES

SOA No. of Claimants Lone Parents

27 125 65

28 45 15

29 255 120

30 25 5

31 60 25

Birchwood ward 510 230

Lincoln City 4075 1305

Income Income Support Claimants Source: Information Directorate Department of Work and Pensions (February 2007) The number of claimants in Birchwood ward is 12.5% of the city’s total. The average for a Lincoln ward is 370 people, which equates to 9.09% of the city total. In comparison Birchwood is well above the average for a ward. In terms of SOA’s 27 and 29, 75% of the total claimants for the ward as a whole reside in the priority neighbourhoods. Birchwood also has a high proportion of lone parents, with 17.62% of the city’s total. The ward average is 9.09%, which equates to 119 lone parents per ward, and Birchwood has nearly double this amount.

Pension Credit and State Pension Claimants

Source: Information Directorate Department of Work and Pensions (February 2007) Birchwood accounts for 7.8% of the total number of pension credit claimants in Lincoln, well below the average for a ward, which is 9.09%. This figure is low due to the relatively small proportion of elderly people that live in the ward. However the Census 2001 showed that there was the least amount of over 65’s living in SOA 29, yet in February 2007 SOA 29 has double the amount of pension credit claimants than SOA 30 which had 243 over 65’s, compared to 82 in SOA 29 in 2001. Therefore the number of elderly people may be low in SOA 29 but deprivation is higher and more are entitled to credit.

One is eligible to claim Income Support if:

Aged between 16-59.

A lone parent/ registered sick or disabled/ student and either a lone parent or disabled/ caring for someone sick or elderly.

No savings of £16,000 or more.

Unemployed or working less than 16 hours a week.

If the sick and statutory pay is less than the amount of income support you are entitled to.

On paternity leave. The amount payable varies depending on circumstances.

Pension Credit State Pension

Number of Claimants Number of Claimants

27 115 200

28 75 355

29 60 105

30 30 335

31 70 270

Birchwood Ward 350 1265

Lincoln City 4485 14595

SOA

Pension Credit guarantees an income of at least: £119.05 a week if single £181.70 a week if you have a partner.

Incomes from the following sources are assessed to determine eligibility:

Pensions including state, work or personal.

Certain benefits (e.g. carer’s allowance)

Earnings from a job.

Similarly Birchwood has a low proportion of state pension claimants and makes up only 8.66% of the city total. The average for a Lincoln ward is 9.09% and again Birchwood is below average.

Employment Working Age Claimants, February 2007

Source: Information Directorate, Department of Work and Pensions (February 2007)

The total number of Birchwood’s working age population claiming benefits (1070) is shown in the table above and will include those receiving; JSA, incapacity benefit, lone parent, income related benefit, disabled, bereaved and unknown benefits. It is clear that SOA 29 has the largest proportion of working age claimants, nearly half of the entire ward.

If the data is analysed in terms of gender, 56% of claimants are females. SOA 29 has the most substantial difference at SOA level between the number of male and female claimants, with a total of 43% and 57% respectively. In terms of age, 56% of claimants are aged between 25-49 years and form the biggest section. Contrastingly the 16-24 year olds form the smallest proportion of claimants. The primary benefit claimed for by those of working age is incapacity benefit, which equates to 46% of the total. If this is broken down to SOA level, 39% of those live in SOA 29.

SOA Total claimants

27 245

28 155

29 445

30 95

31 130

Total number of working age claimants per SOA

23%

14%

42%

9%

12%

SOA 27 SOA 28 SOA 29 SOA 30 SOA 31

Working age Claimants in Birchwood SOA's 2004-2007

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

500

2004 2005 2006 2007

Years

Nu

mb

er

of

Cla

iman

ts

SOA 27 SOA 28 SOA 29 SOA 30 SOA 31

Number of JSA Claimants in Birchwood SOA's 2004-

2007

0

10

20

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80

2004 2005 2006 2007

Years

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SOA 29

SOA 30

SOA 31

Working Age Claimants in Birchwood SOA’s 2004- 2007

The line graph opposite indicates the number of claimants has remained highest in SOA 29 by a significant level for the last 4-year period. The SOA with the lowest number of claimants for the last 4 years has been SOA 30. The number of working age claimants has risen slightly in all SOA’s with the exception of SOA 31 which has experienced a decline in claimants. The number of working age claimants may continue to rise in SOA’s 29, 27 and 28 and as the number of dependents increases,

strain will be put on the local infrastructure. Job Seekers Allowance

The number of JSA claimants in Birchwood is below the ward average for Lincoln as a whole with 8.6% compared to 9.09% respectively. The priority neighbourhoods SOA 27 and 29 account for 65.62% of the ward total. The line graph illustrates a series of peaks and troughs in the number of JSA claimants in Birchwood SOA’s 2004-2007. The gap between SOA 29 and the other SOA’s is clearly highlighted, with a peak of 75 in 2004 and 2006, which is likely to be repeated in 2008. SOA 28 has continued to experience a small increase in claimants after 2005, whilst SOA 30 has consistently remained low at 10 claimants in each consecutive year 2004-2007.

One is eligible to claim JSA if:

Available for employment+

Actively seeking employment.

Not engaged in full time paid work or works less than 16 hours a week.

Capable of work.

Under pension age

Not receiving relevant education.

Satisfy either the income or contribution based criteria.

Entered into a JS agreement. A claimant of income or contribution based JSA will receive:

Under 18: £35.65, 18-24 £46.85 and 25 or over £59.15.

The variable nature of the allowance influences the inconsistency displayed in the line graph, JSA is not designed to support the unemployed in the long term. For example, contribution based claimants will have their allowance stopped after a period of 182 days and the emphasis is upon the individual ‘actively seeking’ and being readily available to potential employers.

Incapacity Benefit and Severe Disablement Allowance

Source: Information Directorate, Department of Work and Pensions (February 2007)

The number of incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance claimants in Birchwood totals 490 (10.72% of Lincoln’s claimants). The ward average for Lincoln is 415 claimants, equal to 9.09% and thus Birchwood does perform above average. The priority neighbourhoods SOA 27 and 29 account for 61% of all those receiving this type of benefit in Birchwood ward.

SOA No. of Claimants Details

27 115

60.86% of claimants are between 25-49 years. 74% have been

receiving claims for 2 or more years.

28 75

86.6% of claimants are under 60 years of age. 73.3% have been

receiving claims for 2 or more years.

29 185

94.59% of claimants are under 60 years of age. 72.9% have

been receiving claims for 2 years or more.

30 55

81.18% of claimants are under 60 years of age. 76.92% have

been receiving claims for 2 years or more.

31 60

83.3% of claimants are under 60 years of age. 83.3% have been

receiving claims for 2 years or more.

One is eligible to claim incapacity benefit if:

Suffering from a long or short-term illness or disability and have been unable to work for at least 4 days in a row.

Cannot claim statutory sick pay and have been paid or credited with a minimum amount of NI contributions in one of the last 2 tax years.

One is eligible to claim SDA if:

Suffering from ill health or disability and have been unable to work for at least 28 weeks in a row.

The ‘Cyclical relationship’: A Summary

The weight attached to each domain when calculating the IMD appears less crucial, as the nature of deprivation is cyclical and all domains interact at every stage.

POPULATION High Population Density in SOA 27 A high proportion of under 16’s in SOA’s 27 and 29 places greater demand on educational institutions.

ETHNICITY The ward is not ethnically diverse and the most deprived SOA’s have the highest number of white residents.

MULTIPLE DEPRIVATION SOA 27 is rated within the top 10% for health, education and income deprivation and the top 20% for employment and crime. SOA 29 is within the top 5% for health, education and income deprivation, top 10% for employment and 20% for crime.

EDUCATION

Unauthorised and authorised absence from primary schools is high. …Performance standards of schools

INCOME/ WORK High number of working age claimants, which increases year on year. The average working age claimant is female, 24-49 years and claims incapacity benefit. Income support claimants greatest in SOA 27. Pension and state credit claimants are lower than LA average. SOA 27 and 29 have highest number of incapacity and severe disablement claimants

HOUSING A mix of privately owned and council rented houses depending on the SOA. The construction of ‘Woodfield Glade’ will introduce new residents of different socio-economic backgrounds into SOA 29.

HEALTH

Teenage pregnancy rates

are amongst the highest

for Lincoln. CRIME All crime figures show a decrease in the ward for 2006-2007. There has been an increase in anti-social behaviour and violence against the person. Residents of SOA 29 are more likely to be victims of crime and have the most offenders living there.

COMMUNITY

VIEWS Residents feel the most pressing concern is low-level crime and fear of crime. Locals also feel they are isolated from the decision making process.

Conclusions Birchwood is characterised by a vast socio- economic divide between SOA’s 27 and 29, the priority neighbourhoods, and SOA’s 28, 30 and 31. The former displays low income, a high number of working age claimants, a disproportionate number of adult and youth offenders and housing stock which is mainly council owned. On the other hand, the latter contains mostly privately owned or rented accommodation and performs better in employment and income related fields. The contrasting experience of residents will lead to stagnation and isolation in the priority neighbourhoods and encourage a cycle of multiple deprivation, which is harder to break. Therefore it is important to emphasise the need for community cohesion and grassroots participation in intervention strategies. In order to break the cycle of multiple deprivation in priority SOA’s, the community’s perception of a ‘them and us’ socio- economic divide in the area must be quashed. The reasons behind the lack of a common community identity need further investigation; is it due to poor social networks, access issues or the fact that a large proportion of housing is rented and there is a large turn over of residents? Community cohesion is a rising issue for the ward, which has low levels of ethnic diversity and pockets of anti-social behaviour and low-level crime, which causes ructions in the community between old and young. Neighbourhood management would be an effective tool for dealing with this as it aims to bring the community together to fulfil common goals. The community needs a forum to express and resolve issues concerning them. Presently the community centre, located in SOA 29, is in need of some investment and surrounded by high wire fencing, it does not promote community inclusion. The fear of crime in Birchwood is increasing despite a fall in the total of all crimes committed. It would be interesting to ascertain whether there are repeat locations and victims of crime in the ward. The layout of the council housing estates in SOA’s 27 and 29 with numerous alleyways and cut throughs between houses, aids criminal activity and offer youths secluded locations to congregate. In turn this heightens the vulnerability of local residents, particularly at nighttime when alleyways suffer from poor lighting and the fear of crime is at its peak. However Birchwood does have untapped potential with good access to various educational institutions and plentiful land to develop with new housing estates that will increase demand for new and improved services. In comparison to other Lincoln wards, Birchwood does not suffer from high crime levels and has plentiful open space for residents to enjoy and exercise in which should promote health in the ward. Deprivation can take many forms though and the need to understand the needs of individual’s in individual neighbourhoods is the primary agenda of community profiling and thereafter neighbourhood management.

ABBEY- PARK AREA PROFILE

Contents Page Introduction Local Geography Population Ethnicity Deprivation Crime Housing Education Income Employment

The ‘Cyclical Relationship’: A Summary Conclusions

ABBEY- PARK AREA PROFILE

What is the Purpose of an Area Profile? An area profile provides a detailed summary of the socio- economic, cultural and geographical qualities on a grass roots level. It provides an opportunity to amalgamate all the relevant statistical and qualitative information from a wide array of sources. This data is then analysed further to look for trends and prioritise areas of concern within the specific ward.

The cyclical nature of deprivation and the interaction between domains is highlighted further on a ward basis. It is hoped that by isolating one factor at a time, policy recommendations and means for improvement are acknowledged. Therefore decision-making is informed and resources can be allocated correctly depending on the performance of key indicators. Neighbourhood management is a means of diversifying local authorities approach to neighbourhood renewal with participation from residents and support from necessary organisations. Indeed neighbourhood management does not work alone it is part of a strategic framework. The over all aim of the scheme is to ‘create and maintain sustainable cohesive neighbourhoods, where nobody is disadvantaged just because of where they live’.4 Thus by distinguishing a ward and SOA from Lincoln city as a whole, an area’s priorities are recognised and can be tackled accordingly, assisting the city as a whole. The neighbourhood manager coordinates and manages the local service area with an emphasis on prevention and strategic priorities.

What Issues are Explored?

The key indicators that form the main structure of this document are outlined below:

Population

Ethnicity

Income

Education

Health

Crime

Community views and involvement

Housing

Employment Although these sectors are highlighted individually for the purpose of detailed analysis, they all work in tandem with each other. For instance, poor health may be a consequence of low quality housing and accessibility to local services, which in turn may be caused by worklessness. Similarly low educational attainment will lead to a community with a high pool of unskilled workers, whose income is low and therefore standards of housing and health suffers accordingly. It is a cyclical relationship, where deprivation in one form may lead to multiple deprivation affecting a far wider service area and precipitating a negative view of the community, which will affect the mindset of future generations, and the cycle begins again.

4 Notes from Lincolnshire Police: Neighbourhood Management, Lincolnshire Police (January 2007)

The primary focus is on local issues and the ramifications for local people. To gauge the extent of the problem, comparisons are drawn with other wards and on a local authority level also. What Sources are Used? Information was extracted from the following sources:

Census 2001

National Customer Satisfaction Survey 2005-2006

Index of Multiple Deprivation 2004

British Crime Survey 2005/06- 2006/07

Crime Audit 2001/02- 2003/04

Neighbourhood Statistics

Office of the Deputy Prime Minister

City Council Planning Services

Department for Work and Pensions

Ofsted Reports

Department for Educational Services

Neighbourhood Audits 2003

Limitations of the Data The population of Lincoln and its wards does not remain static. Therefore once statistics are published, they are instantly out of date and the worth of the data is questionable as time passes. However the Census 2001 provides a wealth of data that is not easily accessible elsewhere and thus is an important insight into the population dynamics of individual SOA’s. Similarly there are problems regarding the classification of multiple deprivation used in the Indices for Multiple Deprivation 2004. It was suggested by the Department for Communities and Local Government in 2004, that it may not provide a wholly accurate picture of deprivation within the ward and is too presumptuous. This is because the IMD places weights on the separate domains and judges employment and income domains as the most important and therefore have an increased weighting. However this is disputed in a paper for the Department of Communities and Local Government, published 22nd May 2007, which stated more importance should be given to the health domain, as this is what the government is allocating more resources to. The National Customer Satisfaction Survey piloted in 2005-2006, is a means of assessing the qualitative perspective of residents on a grassroots level, essential when gauging the priorities of local people in local areas. However the sample of respondents was very small and based around the Citizen Panel, which raises questions of representation. The format of the survey was to use closed questions, which allows greater analysis of results but limits the independence and extent of ‘customer’ feedback. It was also necessary to investigate how many people answered each question in order to assess the significance of the response received. The extent to which data is available on SOA level is limited. For instance, crime data extracted from the Audit and British Crime Survey is indicative of ward crime levels only and does not highlight hotspots or repeat locations for crime across the SOA’s or beats. The same is true of the health data received from the PCT, which concentrates on ward level and does not show the number of certain types of diseases evident in SOA’s. However the quality of the data at SOA level is

questionable for certain diseases, as the statistical significance would be exaggerated and the numbers too small for analytical comparisons to be drawn. The lack of information at SOA level is particularly troublesome when analysing the data for Abbey and Park wards. This is due to the shift in ward boundaries in 2007, which creates problems when ‘drilling down’, as some SOA’s sprawl into several ward boundaries.

Local Geography

Abbey- Park wards are located towards the East of the city and both include some of the city centre. The new ward lines drawn in 2007 create greater overlap between the two, particularly in SOA’s 76 and 77. The largest local authority housing area, Tower Housing Estate is within close proximity to the Allenby trading estate in Abbey SOA 23 and its influence upon the surrounding community will be investigated. There are also densely populated areas of private and council properties within Stamp End in Abbey SOA 26 and Sincil Bank in Abbey-Park SOA 77. There are 3 SOA’s in this area which feature in the LSP’s top twenty neighbourhood priorities and are suffering from multiple deprivation. SOA 26 in Abbey ward includes Waterside North, Spa Road, Croft Street, Winn Street and backs onto Monks Road. SOA 76 is spread across the Abbey- Park ward boundary and encompasses the High Street to city boundary and includes Pelham Bridge, Canwick Road, part of Washingborough Road and Sincil Bank. SOA 75 is towards the South of Park ward and includes the Manse Estate, part of Newark Road, Beech Street, Maple Street, Elder Street and Poplar Street.

Map of Abbey-Park Ward Boundaries and SOA’s.

Source: Neighbourhood Statistics Website

Open Space The provision of parks and open space in Abbey is concentrated in the Monks Road area and access from the Tower Estate is limited. In the heart of the Monks Road residential area is the Arboretum, which offers plentiful green space amidst the densely populated urban landscape. A pamphlet was introduced by Lincoln Tree Wardens in August 2006, which publicised the beautiful trees in the Arboretum and was available free of charge. However there is concern over the park’s usage with complaints of litter attracting rats and nuisance behaviour. In Park the South Common and Cow Paddle offer 72.6 and 16.2 hectares of common land respectively, for residents to enjoy. There are numerous child play areas, with 4 in Park and 2 in Abbey, although this caters exclusively for the lower age groups. In Abbey ward particularly the lack of facilities for older children harbours resentment and disengagement in this sector of the population, resulting in criminal damage. In regards to allotment provision, approximately 3.2 hectares are designated for this use in Abbey-Park and attract all age ranges from inside and outside the ward. The close proximity of Abbey-Park to the city centre renders the area a traffic hotspot with congestion causing problems for local residents in terms of parking, damage to the road surfaces and contributing to air pollution, which in turn affects the quality of health and the living environment. Place check studies conducted in Sincil Bank, Tower Estate, Monks Road and Stamp End in 2003 emphasise the need for more cycle routes and public transport services. ‘Creation of vibrant walkways and the abolition of unsavoury clutter is needed to attract new walkers’. ‘Give green areas a higher profile, each with some individual feature’. Extracts from Abbey and Park ward, ‘Neighbourhood Research’, Urban Challenge and Lincoln LSP, 2003.

Amenities

There are 3 doctors’ surgeries in the Monks Road area of Abbey ward and another 2 in the St Catherine’s area of Park ward.

Lincoln Central Library and County Archives are located towards the city centre end of Abbey ward. In Park ward there is Bracebridge Library with a catchment area of 14,368 residents including some in Moorland ward.

There are a high number of commercial and industrial outlets; the city centre, Allenby Road trading estate, Outer Circle Road and North/ South of St Catherine’s including Canwick Road trading estate.

Abbey-Park has several community centres, which provide activities and a forum for discussion. Bracebridge Community Centre is located in the South of Park ward, Ancaster Day Centre in Park offers day and evening facilities and is a citywide facility and the Abbey Renewal Office on Belmont Street is a hub of information and activity.

Population Dynamics

Source: National Census 2001

Please note SOA’s 22- 26 are in Abbey ward, 76-77 are Abbey-Park and 74, 75, 78 in Park and SOA 34 is Park- Boultham. Abbey- Park wards account for 20% of Lincoln’s total population and are more densely populated than the average for the whole city with 44 people per hectare compared to 23.98. In terms of the individual SOA's, SOA 77 has a population density over 6 times higher than the total for Lincoln as local authority area. This is due to the high number of houses in multiple occupation in the Sincil bank area, which is characterised by rows of terraced properties and flats. The place check conducted in June 2004 described the area as a sponge, ‘expected to simply to soak up a wide range of pressures, changes and problems’ exacerbated by the transient nature of its population.5 It is interesting that the three priority SOA’s do not have the largest number of residents or the greatest number living per hectare. Therefore the strain of numbers on local services is not necessarily the root cause of deprivation in these areas. In fact in priority SOA 76 there are only 7.2 people per hectare. However the demographics of the population is an additional factor to consider. The proportion of over 65’s living in Abbey-Park is 13.14% of the total resident population, whilst in priority SOA 26 19.26% of the local population is over 65. This increases the number of elderly dependents affecting income rates and will have an adverse impact upon the mortality rate. In contrast, the largest distribution of under 16’s in Abbey-Park is in SOA 23, where this age group forms 27.37% of the total population. This is considerably higher than in the rest of Abbey-park and the effect will be more pronounced as SOA 23 also has the lowest number of residents.

5 Sincil Area Placecheck: First Stage Report and Action Plan, SAAG and LCDP (June 2004), p.5.

Total Population Men Women Over 65's Under 16's Population Density

Lincoln 85595 41695 43900 13174 17213 23.98

Abbey- Park 16884 8671 8213 2272 2904 Average 44

% of total population that are men=51%

% of total population that are women= 49%

% of total population that are over 65= 13%

% of total population that are under 16= 17%

SOA Total Population Men Women Over 65's Under 16 Population Density

22 1520 769 751 204 187 31.82

23 1268 599 669 223 347 5.93

24 1471 740 731 125 316 37.13

25 1638 1033 605 161 238 27.29

26 1433 754 679 276 161 51.09

76 1584 843 741 189 218 7.2

74 1465 730 735 188 316 21.47

75 1525 772 753 170 302 48.26

77 1835 884 951 189 294 150.53

78 1622 794 828 276 271 17.92

34 1523 753 770 271 254 80.58

Ethnicity

Source: National Census 2001 The wards have slightly more white residents than the city as a whole, 96.63% compared to 97.80% and as such is not as ethically diverse. This is particularly the case in terms of the Black population who form the smallest ethnic minority in Abbey-Park, with 48 residents compared to 231 for Lincoln as a whole. In the National Customer Satisfaction Survey undertaken by the citizen panel in October-November 2005, only 42% in Abbey and 44% in Park definitely agreed or agreed with the idea that ethnic differences are respected. This is in contrast to 58.7% of respondents who agree or definitely agree in the city as a whole. The respondents also indicated a greater sense of community tension in Park ward where 22% definitely disagreed with the statement, compared to 4% in Abbey and 4.6% citywide. This signifies a need to engage all sectors of the community and discourage isolation of ethnic minorities in concentrated pockets around both wards.

Ward White Mixed (All) Asian (All) Black (All) Chinese (All)

Abbey-Park 16316 152 225 48 146

Lincoln 83712 599 608 231 445

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

Number of

People

Mixed (All) Asian (All) Black (All) Chinese (All)

Ethnicity

A compaison of ethnic minorities in Abbey-Park wards and

Lincoln

Lincoln

Abbey-Park

Ethnic Minorities

Source: National Census 2001 The location of ethnic minorities is not distributed evenly through out the wards; there are concentrations in certain areas. For instance, SOA 22 in Abbey ward has 34% of Abbey-Park’s total Asian population and 38% of its total black population. The priority neighbourhoods SOA 26, 75 and 76 are the least ethnically diverse with only 16% of the wards non- white population residing there.

Is there a positive relationship between ethic diversity and increased social capital, which in turn combats deprivation?

However the data is extracted from the 2001 census and does have its drawbacks. Certainly population figures and the ethnic make-up of the community do not remain static and will have fluctuated in the six years, which have elapsed. There have been changes to European Union membership which has led to fluid movement particularly from Eastern European countries and as a result the number of Abbey-Park’s population whose mother tongue is not English may have increased.

To what extent are these ethnic groups integrated into the Abbey-Park local community?

SOA Mixed (All) Asian (All) Black (All) Chinese (All)

22 19 77 18 44

23 17 8 3 4

24 7 28 0 15

25 22 38 3 17

26 8 10 3 10

74 22 15 3 11

75 10 5 3 0

76 14 14 3 10

77 7 15 6 18

78 11 9 6 14

34 15 6 0 3

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Number of People

22 23 24 25 26 74 75 76 77 78 34

SOA's

Ethnic Minorities in Abbey-Park SOA's

Mixed (All)

Asian (All)

Black (All)

Chinese (All)

Deprivation

Source: Index of Multiple Deprivation 2004 ‘A compositional measure’ based on 7 domains and founded upon the theory that unemployment and income deprivation serve as the catalyst for deprivation in multiple areas and greater weight is placed on them when calculating the indices.

* indicates where the SOA does not fall into the top 20% of deprived areas.

SOA 76: Top 10%

health and living

environment. Top

20% for education,

income, employment

and crime.

SOA 26: Top 5% health,

employment and crime.

Top 10% for income and

top 20% for education.

SOA 75: Top 10% for

health and employment.

Top 20% for education,

income and living

environment.

Domain SOA 22 SOA 23 SOA 24 SOA 25 SOA 26 SOA 74 SOA 75 SOA76 SOA77 SOA78 SOA 34

Health Deprivation and Disability Top 20% Top 20% Top 20% * Top 5% Top 20% Top 10% Top 10% Top 20% * Top 20%

Education, skills and training deprivation * Top 10% * * Top 20% * Top 20% Top 20% * * *

Income Deprivation * Top 10% * * Top 10% * Top 20% Top 20% * * *

Employment Deprivation * Top 20% * * Top 5% * Top 10% Top 20% * * Top 20%

Crime Top 5% Top 20% Top 10% * Top 5% * * Top 20% Top 20% Top 20% *

Living Environment Top 20% * Top 10% * * Top 20% Top 20% Top 10% Top 10% Top 20% Top 10%

Mulitple Deprivation * Top 20% * * Top 5% * Top 20% Top 20% * * *

The housing/services indicator has not been included in the data listed, as Abbey- Park does not rank as deprived in this area. Health, crime and the living environment are the priority areas for Abbey; particularly in SOA 26 which features in the top 20% most deprived in England by 5 or 6 domains and the overall multiple deprivation measure. In addition to the three domains listed for Abbey above, Park is also deprived in terms of education and income. The living environment is a specific concern for Park ward, where all of the 5 SOA’s are in the top 20% most deprived in England and 2 are in the top 10%.

Crime The Number of Total Crimes Committed in Each Ward

Source: British Crime Survey, 2005-06- 2006/07, Lincolnshire Police The table above shows all crime figures in each of Lincoln’s wards, during the period 2005/06- 2006/07. In Abbey-Park there have been 233 more crimes committed in 2006/07 than 2005/06. Therefore the ward performed poorly in comparison to Lincoln as a whole, which experienced 110 less crimes, a difference of 27 offences. Indeed the average number of crimes occurring in Lincoln 05/06 totals 677 and in 06/07 667 crimes. On the other hand, whilst the number of crimes is still greater in Abbey, it is Park ward that has seen the sharpest increase with a total of 157 extra offences in 2006/07.

What has caused this surge in criminal activity? Is Closer liaison with neighbourhood policing teams needed? Is intelligence sharing between partnership agencies effective in highlighting priorities?

The fear of crime will continue to increase in tandem with the rise in volume crime. This is evident in the results of the 2005/2006 National Customer Satisfaction Survey, where 54% in Abbey and 45% in Park felt fairly or very unsafe in the dark, compared to 45% for the city as a whole. An exacerbating factor in the crime problem in Abbey-Park is the derelict living environment characterised by, derelict buildings, litter and graffiti which does not evoke positive images of the community. This impression is strengthened by the ‘broken windows theory’, which suggests that if a broken window is not repaired immediately all nearby windows will later be damaged, as the way in which we behave and perceive our local community is ultimately influenced by the physical environment in which we live. Therefore the

Ward 2005/06 2006/07

Abbey 1165 1241

Birchwood 671 534

Boultham 889 758

Bracebridge 277 312

Carholme 1065 946

Castle 508 551

Glebe 434 533

Hartsholme 351 351

Minster 475 443

Moorland 588 487

Park 1022 1179

Total 7445 7335

dilapidated physical environment breeds the perception of local housing estates like Stamp End as ‘a dumping ground’ for ‘unsuitable tenants who indulge in anti-social behaviour.6 The Crime Audit for 2001/02- 2003/04 indicates that SOA’s 23, 26 and 75 have more than twice the district rates number of adult offenders on probation living in the area. This will inevitably have a negative impact on the perception of crime in the area and perhaps even contribute towards actual crime rates, particularly if these are found to be PPO’s and are committing crime on their doorsteps. The Audit also stated that the most common type of crime that adult offenders are involved in is violent crime. Similarly SOA 23 has more than twice the district rate of youth offenders, although this particular locality does also have more under 16’s than any other SOA in Abbey-Park. SOA’s 22, 25, 26 and 74 also have more than the district rate of youth offenders residing there in 2003/04. The majority of young people in Abbey-Park on probation in 2003/04 were involved in theft or handling offences, types of acquisitive crime.

What causes young people to turn to crime? Is it due to a lack of opportunities and local facilities?

Victim Profile for Lincoln 2003-2004

6 Stamp End Place Check: Final Report & Action Plan, LCDP (September 2004), p.13.

Comparative Data Set 12: Lincoln - Victim profile 2003/04

Number of victims Lincs District

per 1,000 population 49.81 100.36

Reproduced from Ordnance Survey Mapping with permission of the controller of HMSO Crown Copyright. All rights reserved. LCC LA 076732

Under 17

18-24

25-34

35-44

45-54

55-64

65-74

75-84

85 & OverLincolnshire

0 20 40 60 80 100

AFRO-CARIBBEAN

ARAB

ASIAN

DARK EUROPEAN

ORIENTAL

UNKNOWN

WHITE EUROPEAN

Lincoln

Lincolnshire

%

Female

Male

Lincolnshire

0 1 2

miles

Lincoln

Source: Crime Audit 2001/02- 2003/04, City of Lincoln Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership

Certainly the map highlights that the number of victims of crime is more than twice the district rate in SOA’s 22, 23, 26 and 76 and more than the district rate in SOA’s 24, 74, 75 and 78. In fact the majority of Lincoln’s victims of crime are concentrated in the Abbey-Park area. It is not possible from the information above to assume that the crimes were committed in these two wards. However the hypothesis is put forward that the prospect of a crime being committed in Abbey-Park is more likely to occur than elsewhere in the city due to the low employment and income rate which have a negative effect on local services and social networks, resulting in limited opportunities and a fertile ground for criminal activity to flourish.

Crime Types in Abbey-Park Wards

Source: British Crime Survey 2005-06- 2006/07, Lincolnshire Police The table above allows a greater analysis into the specific crimes being committed in Abbey- Park. Although it must be noted that only the most common crime types are included as they provide a comprehensive foundation for comparison. The sum of offences displayed in this table only form part of the number of all crimes committed in the wards.

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

Number of Crimes

Burg

lary

Dw

elli

ng

Com

mon A

ssualt

Crim

inal D

am

age

TF

MV

Theft

of C

ycle

TO

MV

Robbery

Theft

from

Pers

on

Crime Type

Crime 2005/06- 2006/07

2005/06

2006/07

Crime Type 2005/06 2006/07 Variance

Burglary Dwelling 131 150 15% +

Common Assualt 157 261 66%+

Criminal Damage 858 1043 22%+

TFMV 258 257 -0.38%

Theft of Cycle 154 133 -14%

TOMV 73 72 -1.36%

Robbery 33 28 -15%

Theft from Person 55 41 -25%

The chart indicates that criminal damage has greatly increased in the ward and is linked to the rise in anti-social behaviour particularly on the Sincil bank, Stamp End and Tower Housing Estates. The number of common assaults has increased by 66% in the period 06/07 than 05/06, substantially contributing to the upward trend across the city. Indeed problems with violent crime in Abbey-Park will be exacerbated by the wards proximity to the city centre and alcohol fuelled crime in such hotspot areas. However in terms of other offences against the person such as robbery and theft, there is a significant decrease of 15% and 25% respectively. This compares favourably against the citywide results, which shows a marginal decrease of 3% for robbery and 18% for theft from person. The levels of auto crime remains at a steady rate within the ward, with only one less theft from motor vehicle and one less theft of motor vehicle in the period 2006/07. However Abbey- Park experiences a large proportion of the city’s vehicle crime, with 33% of Lincoln’s TFMV offences and 37% of Lincoln’s TOMV offences committed in the wards during 2006/2007. A root cause in Abbey-Park’s high level of auto crime is that the majority of city centre car parks are located in the two wards and the sheer volume of traffic passing through creates a magnet for such acquisitive crime to occur. Operation Carriage was a police operation launched in 2003 to combat vehicle crime in the vicinity and proved successful in increasing awareness and it would certainly be worthwhile investigating current crime prevention activities.

Housing Housing Ownership

Source: National Census 2001

There are 7,551 households in the ward, of which the number of rented and owner occupied properties varies greatly between the SOA’s. For example, 59% of households in rented council and housing association properties are located within the three priority SOA’s. On the other hand, there is only 28% of owner occupied housing situated in SOA’s 23, 26, 75 and 76. The majority of owner occupied housing is located in Park ward, particularly SOA’s 77 and 78. This difference in housing ownership illustrates the economic divide within Abbey-Park and the concentrated nature of housing type and ownership which results in dispersed and fragmented communities. The local authority properties in Stamp End and Tower were built between 1965- 1974 and are a mixture of high/ medium-rise purpose built flats like Shuttleworth House and densely populated terraced streets. The 2005 House Condition Survey stated that in the Park and Central area 8.4% of dwellings were unfit and 8.9% were

Type of Ownership SOA 22 SOA 23 SOA 24 SOA 25 SOA 26 SOA 74 SOA 75 SOA 76 SOA 77 SOA 78 SOA 34

Owner Occupied- Owns Outright 163 119 168 161 116 121 158 117 196 200 155

Owner Occupied- Owns with a Mortgage or loan 157 137 261 251 45 262 244 200 321 294 257

Owner Occupied- Shared Ownership 0 0 7 3 9 5 5 8 3 7 7

Rented from- Council 71 208 9 5 365 41 155 175 13 35 130

Rented from- Housing Association/Registered Social landlord 14 3 18 0 18 5 45 97 7 24 4

Rented from- Private Landlord or letting agency 167 22 153 71 105 153 113 259 228 156 149

Rented from- Other 73 24 18 11 51 19 42 35 20 19 26

Total 645 512 633 501 771 606 742 890 788 735 728

in disrepair.7 In addition to this the Park and Central area was also found to have the lowest energy efficiency with 12.48% of properties in fuel poverty. This is exacerbated by the poor degree of thermal comfort and the low income of residents unable to initiate repairs on their properties and in turn a poor Sap rating has a negative impact on the environment. There are also a large number of vacant dwellings within the area, in March 2005 4.5% of properties in Abbey were vacant and 7.1% in Park. This is considerably higher than the total for the city, which is 3.3%. Abbey –Park accounts for 35% of the city’s long-term vacant properties and this will not help to establish a pride in the appearance of the local area nor provide accommodation to those in need. The Abbey-Park area is also characterised by a high percentage of houses in multiple occupation. The Private Sector House Condition Report conducted in 2005 illustrated that there were 1,116 HMO’s in the Park and Central area and the majority (38%) were student properties.8 There are many issues associated with the management of HMO’s, such as neighbourly disputes, accountability, adherence to health and safety regulations and the transient nature of tenants.

Changes to Housing Stock

Source: City of Lincoln Council, Planning Services, (Financial year 2006-2007) There have been a total of 100 new builds in Abbey-park during the 2006/07 financial year. This accounts for 20% of the city’s total new additions to housing stock.

Education Abbey-Park ward has 3 primary schools, 1 infant school, 2 special needs schools and one secondary school.

7 ‘The 2005 Housing Condition Survey’, Housing Report 2005, LSP, p.29.

8 Houses in Multiple Occupation, Housing Report 2005, LSP, p. 36.

WARD New Build Conversions TO Housing Conversions FROM Housing Demolitions Net Change

Abbey 59 1 1 0 59

Birchwood 45 0 0 0 45

Boultham 124 2 1 2 123

Bracebridge 1 0 0 0 1

Carholme 52 15 0 0 67

Castle 7 0 0 0 7

Glebe 160 0 1 0 159

Hartsholme 0 1 0 0 1

Minster 21 0 0 0 21

Moorland 1 0 0 0 1

Park 41 4 0 0 45

Ward School Name Type

Abbey Lincoln Monks Abbey Primary School Primary

Park Lincoln Bishop King CE Community Primary School Primary

Park Lincoln Bracebridge Infant School Primary

Park Lincoln Queen's Park School Special

Park Lincoln Sincil School Special

Park Lincoln St Peter at Gowts CE Primary School Primary

Park Lincoln The Priory LSST School Secondary

Source: Children’s Services, Lincolnshire County Council, Performance Management Team A closer inspection of individual school’s performance and reputation within the local community is outlined below. Factors that have been taken into consideration include examination results over the period 2004-2007, the services offered, pupil dynamics and whether or not the school is subject to special measures. Ofsted inspections are utilised as indicators of a schools general progress as the inspector comments on the role of the school in the community, performance against the national curriculum, standards of teaching and opportunities for a child’s personal development. However the inspection takes place every 3 years and therefore whilst some schools have had recent visits, it is difficult to allude to the progress of those schools which have last been visited for a full Section 9 inspection 3 years ago. Primary Schools in Abbey-Park: Lincoln Monks Abbey Primary School: Source: Section 5 Inspection Report, 20th March 2007 witBirchwood ward attend these 4 schools, they may venture further a field. It Monks Abbey Primary School is larger than most primary schools and draws the majority of its pupils from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds. It is estimated that approximately 1/3 of pupils are from ethnic minorities, particularly eastern Europeans. The report emphasised the following areas were in need of improvement; writing skills, the opportunity for language development in the foundation stage and the need to ensure marking is consistent in order for pupils to gauge personal targets. Lincoln Bishop King CE Community Primary: Source: Section 9/10 Inspection Report, 21st June 2004. Bishop King Primary School has varied class sizes, with year 5 and 6 often joined together. The majority of its pupils are white British and from a disadvantaged socio-economic background with 27% of pupils in receipt of free school meals. The number of pupils with special educational needs is 34%, considerably higher than the England average. The school runs courses for the Local Adult Education Service and therefore has a good standing in the local community. It won the DfES Achievement Award in 2003. Areas for improvement identified in the report were as follows; standards in English, Mathematics and Science are not deemed high enough and the process of checking and evaluating developments is not full proof. Lincoln St Peter at Gowts Church of England Primary School: Source: Section 9 Inspection Report 10th-13th November 2003.

What the school does well:

‘A good school in which pupils make good progress both academically and

socially’.

‘Close attention is given to their personal, social, health and citizenship education and this results in increasing maturity as they go through their school career’.

What the school does well:

‘Provides a sound education for its pupils’.

‘The nursery provides a very good start to children’s education’.

What the school does well:

‘An effective school that provides a good quality of education and gives good value for money’.

‘Good teaching’.

‘High levels of inclusion and a very good ethos of care’.

Leadership is good and that of the head teacher is very good’.

St Peter at Gowts Church of England Primary School is an average sized voluntary controlled Church of England Primary School. The Vicar is a regular visitor to the school and the Church is used extensively for school services. A large amount of pupils are White British and an above average number of pupils join in or leave during the school year due to the transient demographic structure of the local area. The school was awarded an SRB grant due to its high level of social deprivation and this funding has been used to run family Literacy and Numeracy Courses. The report emphasises the need to improve resources in information and communication technology. School Performance Data 2007- Key Stage

The performance of Abbey-Park primary schools in Key Stage 2 English is extremely varied. The lowest performing school is Bishop King CE Community Primary School, where the majority of its pupils have achieved level 3 and have the smallest proportion of pupils attaining level 3 + in local schools. St Peter at Gowts has the most pupils achieving below level3 + but also has a higher proportion than average attaining level 4.

Monks Abbey shoes greater consistency and in level 4 and 5 has a higher percentage than average reaching these targets. This achievement is put into greater context when the number of pupils is acknowledged; Monks Abbey has the most with 46 on roll compared to 28 at Bishop King and 26 at St Peter. It was also highlighted in the March 2007 Ofsted report that the school has a large number of children with English as a second language, yet 2007 preliminary results show this has not had a negative impact on educational attainment in English.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

% achieving level

% Below

Level 3

% Level

3

% Level

4

% Level

5

%Level

4+

Level

Key Stage 2 English Performance in Abbey-Park Schools 2007

Bishop King CE Primary

Monks Abbey

St Peter at Gowts COE Primary

Lincoln Average

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

% achieving level

% Below

Level 3

% Level

3

% Level

4

% Level

5

%Level

4+

Level

Key Stage 2 Maths Performance in Abbey-Park Schools 2007

Bishop King CE Primary

Monks Abbey

St Peter at Gowts COE Primary

Lincoln Average

Maths

Monks Abbey repeated the steady upward trend for Maths and mirrors the overall trend for Lincoln as a whole. In comparison, Bishop King experienced a sharp fall in the percentage of pupils achieving above level 3. This may be due to the high number of pupils with special needs or may suggest weaknesses in teaching and will need further investigation. Science

It is interesting that like the average for Lincoln as a whole, Abbey-Park had far more pupils in all schools achieve level 5 in Science than in Maths or English. This was certainly the case in Monks Abbey where almost half of all pupils who sat their Key Stage 2 Science examination gained level 5. Bishop King CE also performed better in Science than English or Maths, with no pupils achieving below level 3. Special Schools in Abbey-Park Lincoln Sincil School: Source: Section 5 Inspection Report, 24th May 2007

What the school does well:

‘An effective school; it provides good value for money’.

‘The school’s success is underpinned by good staff team work’.

‘Although standards remain well below average, pupils make good progress because they are taught well and given good quality support’.

‘The extended day allows enrichment of the curriculum’.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

% achieving level

% Below

Level 3

% Level

3

% Level

4

% Level

5

%Level

4+

Level

Key Stage 2 Science Performance in Abbey-Park Schools 2007

Bishop King CE Primary

Monks Abbey

St Peter at Gowts COE Primary

Lincoln Average

The Sincil School opened in April 2006 and was funded through the Private Finance Initiative. The primary goal is to cater for pupils with behavioural, social and emotional difficulties. It provides education for pupils from all across the city and North West Lincolnshire and many of these have been excluded from other schools previously. There are presently no year 11 pupils but the aim is to rectify this by 2008. The report does highlight ‘concerns that bullying is not dealt with effectively’. Lincoln Queens Park School: Source: Section 5 Inspection Report, 10th June 2007

Queens Park School is for pupils with severe of profound and multiple learning difficulties. The school occupies two sites, the main building houses pupils in the Foundation stage and Key stages 1-3 and the annexe accommodates the older pupils at Key stage 4+. A large proportion of the pupils are males and most are from White British backgrounds. In the last inspection the school was criticised for ‘serious weaknesses in financial management, welfare, health and safety of pupils’. However the most recent inspection praises the actions of the new head teacher in promoting change. The report does suggest the need to provide opportunities for pupils with severe learning difficulties to learn alongside peers in the main school building. Secondary Schools in Abbey-Park The Priory LSST: Source: Section 5 Inspection Report, 7th December 2005

The Priory LSST is a mixed 11-18 comprehensive school and was opened as a specialist Technology College in 1992. The pupil dynamics do not accurately reflect that of the local Park community. In fact the number of pupils on free school meals is below the national average and those with English as an additional language is low. The Priory continues to be the best performing secondary school in Lincoln. The report did acknowledge the need to keep parents better informed of school activities.

What the school does well:

‘The school has made very good improvement since the last inspection’.

‘Pupils enjoy the school, they stay safe and healthy and they make good progress in their learning and in their personal development’.

‘The school provides good value for money’.

All pupils leave school with a recognised qualification such as the Duke of Edinburgh Award, GCSE’s in design and technology and ASDAN awards.

What the school does well:

‘The school is popular and heavily over subscribed’.

‘Provides outstanding education across the major areas of its work’.

‘It provides exceptional value for money’.

‘The achievement of pupils is outstanding overall’.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

% achieving level

Engl

ish

Leve

l 5+

Engl

ish

Leve

l 6+

Math

s Lev

el 5

+M

ath

s Lev

el 6

+S

cien

ce L

evel 5

+S

cien

ce L

evel 6

+

Level

Key Stage 3 Performance in Abbey-Park Schools 2007

The Priory LSST

Lincoln Christ Hospital

School

Lincoln Queen's Park School

Lincoln Sincil School

Lincoln Average

School English Level 5+ English Level 6+ Maths Level 5+ Maths Level 6+ Science Level 5+ Science Level 6+

The City of Lincoln Community College 66 19 63 37 66 27

Joseph Ruston Technology College 67 23 62 41 7 21

St Peter and St Paul Catholic School 75 29 74 49 68 38

The Priory LSST 92 47 97 89 96 77

Lincoln Christ Hospital School 78 35 67 46 67 31

Lincoln Queen's Park School 0 0 0 0 0 0

Lincoln Sincil School 0 0 11 0 11 0

Lincoln St Christopher's School 0 0 0 0 0 0

Lincoln St Francis Special School 0 0 0 0 0 0

Lincoln Yarborough School 56 10 63 36 6 16

Total for Lincoln 434 163 437 298 321 210

Lincoln Average 43 16 44 30 32 21

School Performance Data 2007- Key Stage 3

Please note Lincoln Christ Hospital School has been included in this comparison due to its close proximity to Abbey ward.

Source: Children’s Services, Lincolnshire County Council, Performance Management Team There is extreme polarity between the top and bottom schools in Key Stage 3. The Priory LSST consistently performs well above the average for Lincoln. However there is a notable lapse in the number of people’s achieving level 6 + in English which is considerably below the numbers for Maths and Science. Lincoln Christ Hospital School is the second highest performer in Key Stage 3 but there is a substantial difference between the numbers achieving level 5 and 6 when compared to the Priory. The two special schools situated within Abbey-Park have an adverse effect on the average for Lincoln as a whole. Sincil School did have 11 pupils that gained level 5 in Maths and Science but this was not experienced in English, despite teacher assessments stating that 13 were performing at this level. Data is not yet available to

assess the proportion of pupils from Queens Park and Sincil that achieved below level 5. Key Stage 4

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

% achieving level

% Achieving 5+A*-C %Achieving 5+A*-G

Level

Key Stage 4 Performance in Abbey-Park Schools 2007

The Priory LSST

Lincoln Christ Hospital School

Lincoln Queens Park School

Lincoln Average

Source: Children’s Services, Lincolnshire County Council, Performance Management Team The Sincil School at present has no Key Stage 4 pupils and therefore has not been included in the above chart, although it is hoped that this will change in 2008. The Priory LSST currently has 241 pupils on roll of which 100% have achieved 5 A*-C grades and 88% have attained 5 A*-C grades including English and Maths. Although Christ Hospital School has a lower number reaching the same benchmarks, the difference between those that achieve 5A*-C in all subjects and those that achieve 5A*-C including Maths and English is not as apparent. For example, of the 55% who did attain 5 A*-C grades, 42% did so in Maths and English which is a greater proportion than at Priory LSST. Limitations With School Performance Data How many pupils attend each school? How many pupils per class?

School Number on Roll % Achieving 5+A*-C %Achieving 5+A*-G

The City of Lincoln Community College 176 70 94

The Priory LSST 241 100 100

Joseph Ruston Technology College 75 75 89

St Peter and St Paul Catholic High School 111 60 98

Lincoln Christ Hospital School 210 55 96

Lincoln Queens Park School 0 0 0

Lincoln St Christopher's School 0 0 0

Lincoln St Francis Special School 10 0 0

Lincoln Yarborough School 155 68 97

Total for Lincoln 978 428 574

Lincoln Average 98 43 57

What specific grades did people achieve? Did the same pupils constantly perform below or above the average? What are the results for Lincoln’s individual wards? How far do children from Abbey-Park travel to attend school? How many children whose mother tongue is not English attend each school? Are these children fully integrated into the school and local community? Are exam results a true reflection of individual skills? How many children with special educational needs does each school have? What impact does this have upon teaching resources?

Income

Income Support Claimants

Source: Information Directorate Department of Work and Pensions (February 2007) The number of claimants in Abbey-Park priority SOA’s consist of 46% of both wards total number of income support claimants. The average for a Lincoln ward is 352 people, which equates to 9.09% of the city total. In comparison Abbey-Park is well above the average for two combined wards with 950 people claiming income support, this is 25% of the city total. The number of lone parents is relatively low, if both wards are added together the figure is 19.62% of the city’s total, compared to a single ward like Birchwood that has high teenage pregnancy rates and accounts for 17.62%.

One is eligible to claim Income Support if:

Aged between 16-59.

A lone parent/ registered sick or disabled/ student and either a lone parent or disabled/ caring for someone sick or elderly.

No savings of £16,000 or more.

Unemployed or working less than 16 hours a week.

If the sick and statutory pay is less than the amount of income support you are entitled to.

On paternity leave. The amount payable varies depending on circumstances.

SOA Number of claimants Number of Lone Parents

22 75 15

23 100 40

24 60 15

25 30 10

26 175 20

74 65 40

75 140 90

76 125 80

77 60 20

78 55 15

34 65 20

Abbey-Park 950 365

Lincoln 3870 1860

Pension Credit and State Pension Claimants

Source: Information Directorate Department of Work and Pensions (February 2007) Abbey-Park accounts for 20% of the total number of pension credit claimants in Lincoln city. The average for a Lincoln ward is 408 people hence the total for the two wards is slightly over the average by approximately 134 people. This signifies the low income of residents and the high number that have not accrued savings or investments during their working lives. The priority SOA’s make up 33% of the pension credit claimants for Abbey-Park, supporting the notion that where deprivation is greater the number of people entitled to credit is also greater.

Employment Working Age Claimants, February 2007

Pension Credit guarantees an income of at least: £119.05 a week if single £181.70 a week if you have a partner.

Incomes from the following sources are assessed to determine eligibility:

Pensions including state, work or personal.

Certain benefits (e.g. carer’s allowance)

Earnings from a job.

SOA Pension Credit State Pension

Number of Claimants Number of Claimants

22 70 205

23 80 220

24 45 125

25 35 160

26 125 240

74 70 170

75 90 195

76 90 165

77 70 160

78 90 250

34 150 270

Abbey-Park 915 2160

Lincoln 4495 14595

SOA Number of Working Age Claimants

22 205

23 215

24 160

25 85

26 400

74 150

75 285

76 275

77 170

78 160

34 170

Abbey-Park 2275

Lincoln 9450

Working Age Claimants in Abbey-Park SOA's 2004-2007

0

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100

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300

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450

2004 2005 2006 2007

Years

Nu

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er

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ts

SOA 23

SOA 26

SOA 75

SOA 76

Source: Information Directorate, Department of Work and Pensions (February 2007)

The total number of Abbey-Park’s working age population claiming benefits (2275) is shown in the table above and will include those receiving; JSA, incapacity benefit, lone parent, income related benefit, disabled, bereaved and unknown benefits. It is clear that SOA 26 has the largest proportion of working age claimants, 18% of the ward’s total. The three priority SOA’s account for 42% of Abbey-Park’s working age claimants.

If the data is analysed in terms of gender, 61% of claimants are males. In total 18% of males and 12% of females in Abbey-Park are working age claimants. The largest age group which is in receipt of claims is those between 25-49, 55% of the total number of claimants across all age ranges. The primary benefit claimed for by those of working age is job seeker allowance, which equates to 47% of total claims. If this is broken down to SOA level, 19% of those claiming JSA live in the priority SOA’s.

Working Age Claimants in Birchwood SOA’s 2004- 2007 Please note: SOA 23 has been included in this comparison as it shares many similar characteristics to the three priority SOA’s.

The line graph opposite indicates the number of claimants has remained highest in SOA 26 by a significant level for the last 4-year period. The number of working age claimants has dipped slightly in SOA’s 26 and 75 but the overall trend is steady.

Total Number of Working Age Claimants per SOA

205

215

160

85

400150

285

275

170

160170

22 23 24 25 26 74 75 76 77 78 34

Jobseekers Allowance Claimants in Abbey-Park SOA’s 2004-2007

Why has there been such a sharp and prolonged increase in the number of JSA claimants in SOA 26? There is a great level of disparity between Abbey-Park’s priority SOA’s in regard to the number of JSA claimants. For instance, there has been a vast increase in SOA 26, which looks set to follow this upward trend for the foreseeable future. It is clear that unemployment is a specific problem in this SOA and that despite the motivation of residents to find work opportunities are scarce. This may have been exacerbated by the influx of working age immigrants setting up home in the popular Monks Road area and seeking employment. This will have repercussions on the areas infrastructure as the need for more jobs and thus more investment becomes clear. Contrastingly the number of JSA Claimants in SOA 23 has declined but this may only be a temporary slump, as the peaks and troughs in the other SOA’s indicate. The variable nature of the allowance also influences the inconsistency displayed in the line graph; JSA is not designed to support the unemployed in the long term. For example, contribution based claimants will have their allowance stopped after a period of 182 days and the emphasis is upon the individual ‘actively seeking’ and being readily available to potential employers.

Incapacity Benefit and Severe Disablement Allowance

One is eligible to claim JSA if:

Available for employment+

Actively seeking employment.

Not engaged in full time paid work or works less than 16 hours a week.

Capable of work.

Under pension age

Not receiving relevant education.

Satisfy either the income or contribution based criteria.

Entered into a JS agreement.

A claimant of income or contribution based JSA will receive:

Under 18: £35.65, 18-24 £46.85 and 25 or over £59.15.

One is eligible to claim incapacity benefit if:

Suffering from a long or short-term illness or disability and have been unable to work for at least 4 days in a row.

Cannot claim statutory sick pay and have been paid or credited with a minimum amount of NI contributions in one of the last 2 tax years.

One is eligible to claim SDA if:

Suffering from ill health or disability and have been unable to work for at least 28 weeks in a row.

JSA Claimants in Abbey-Park SOA's 2004-2007

0

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120

140

2004 2005 2006 2007

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SOA 23

SOA 26

SOA 75

SOA 76

Source: Information Directorate, Department of Work and Pensions (February 2007) The number of incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance claimants in Abbey-Park totals 1130 (25% of Lincoln’s claimants). The four priority neighbourhoods account for 53% of all those receiving this type of benefit in Abbey-Park ward. A high proportion of claimants are male and have been receiving this benefit for a substantial period of time. This will have a negative affect on income and health indicators in Abbey-Park and concerns over accessibility to local services will be paramount.

SOA Number of Claimants Details

22 90This includes 15 with SDA, 51% aged between 25-49 years, 72% are

male and 50% have claimed for 5 +years.

23 95

This includes 5 with SDA, 53% aged between 25-49 years, 50/50 male

female ratio and 53% have claimed for 5+years.

24 75

This includes 5 SDA, 53% aged between 25-49 years, 60% male and

46%have claimed for 5+ years.

25 45

This includes 10 SDA, 55% aged between 25-49 years, 66% male and

55% have claimed for 5 + years.

26 215

This includes 15 SDA, 60% aged between 25-49 years, 67% male

and 51% have claimed for 5+ years.

74 70

This includes 5 SDA, 64% aged 2--49 years, 57% male and 50% have

claimed for 5+ years.

75 155

This includes 30 SDA, 61% aged between 25-49 years, 67% male

and 61% have claimed for 5+ years.

76 135

This includes 20 SDA, 55% aged between 25-49 years, 63% male

and 52% have claimed for 5+ years.

77 80

This includes 5 SDA, 56% aged between 25-49 years, 50/50 male

female ratio and 43% have claimed for 5+ years.

78 75

This includes 5 SDA, 46% aged between 25-49 years, 60% male, 60%

have claimed for 5+ years.

34 95

This includes 10 SDA, 53% aged between 25-49 years, 50/50 male

female ratio and 47% have claimed for 5+years.

The ‘Cyclical relationship’: A Summary

The weight attached to each domain when calculating the IMD appears less crucial, as the nature of deprivation is cyclical and all domains interact at every stage.

POPULATION A relatively average population density. A high proportion of over 65’s in SOA 26 and under 16’s in SOA 23.

ETHNICITY The ward is not ethnically diverse and the most deprived SOA’s have the highest number of white residents. Ethnic minorities are concentrated in SOA 22.

MULTIPLE DEPRIVATION SOA 26 is rated within the top 5% for health, education and crime deprivation, top 10% for income and top 20% for education. SOA 23 is in the top 10% for education and income, 20% for health, employment and crime. SOA 76 is in the top 10% for health and living environment and top 20% for education, income, employment and crime. SOA 75 is in the top 10% for health and employment and top 20% for education, income and the living environment.

EDUCATION Performance standards in local primary and secondary schools are greatly varied with Monks Abbey and Priory LSST leading the way. Standards in English are lower compared to Maths and Science.

INCOME/ WORK High number of working age claimants, which increases year on year. The average working age claimant is male, 24-49 years and claims JSA. Income support claimants are greatest in SOA 26. Abbey-Park accounts for 25% of the city’s incapacity benefit and SDA claimants.

HOUSING A large number of properties that have been vacant for long periods. A high number of HMO’s epitomising the transient and commercial nature of Abbey-Park. Issues surrounding thermal

comfort of residents.

HEALTH

CRIME All crime figures show an increase in the ward for 2006-2007. There has been an increase in anti-social behaviour and criminal damage. Residents of SOA’s 22, 23, 26 and 76 are more likely to be victims of crime and SOA 23 has the highest number of youth offenders.

COMMUNITY

VIEWS

Conclusions Abbey and Park wards have many shared qualities and this is why they have been amalgamated together in a joint community profile. The main priority areas highlighted are; poor health, a high number of residents claiming Incapacity Benefit and Job Seekers Allowance and a transient population with clusters of migrants and students. The geographical position of both wards on main arterial routes and so close to the city centre causes traffic problems and high carbon emissions. However there are also clear differences between the two wards, which must be acknowledged. For instance, Abbey has benefited from renewal funding with physical regeneration in schemes like the Rosemary Lane Revival area, which introduced traffic calming, nighttime security and better street lighting to combat crime. Indeed Abbey has a far more serious problem with unemployment and poor educational attainment. On the other hand, Park has not benefited from any similar investment and all 5 wards are deprived in terms of the living environment. This domain focuses on the indoor environment such as housing condition and the outside environment’s air quality and number of road traffic accidents. There is clearly a need to address traffic congestion in Park ward and the thermal comfort of residents. Comparisons can also be drawn between the availability and access to open land within the wards. For instance, Park has informal access to plentiful open space, which should play a pivotal role in promoting health within the ward, where as Abbey has the Arboretum managed by urban rangers but no common land, and few children’s play areas. It is not accurate to generalise the issues facing Abbey-Park, as within each ward there are several individual neighbourhoods with differing demographics and services that shape local priorities. The three priority areas studied each have local authority housing estates and numerous houses of multiple occupation; in these close living arrangements residents concerns are magnified. It is interesting that despite high deprivation in these areas, the sense of community is in fact stronger than elsewhere. This is illustrated in the prevalent role of community associations and forums like Tower Estate Community Group and Stamp End Tenants and Residents Association, which have been extensively involved in Place checks and local surveys. Certainly deprivation is not confined to the three priority SOA’s listed in the Indices for Multiple Deprivation it manifests itself at a community level. SOA 23 also possesses similar characteristics to the priority SOA’s, it has a large proportion of youth offenders and a skills gap, problems which spill over into the neighbouring SOA’s. This emphasises the cyclical relationship of deprivation at grassroots level, where one deprivation in one domain directly affects another.

One of the main challenges that will govern the approach of neighbourhood management schemes in this area is the continuous influx of migrants seeking work in an area already blighted by a large pool of unskilled and unemployed labour and low aspirations.