Better Together: Engaging residents in transformation The Harrow Approach

Paul NajsarekCorporate Director - Adults and Housing ServicesHarrow Council

London Collaborative25/02/2010

Transformation

● Better Together is a workstream under Harrow’s ‘Better Deal for Residents’ Transformation Programme.

● The overall Programme objectives are to:- Deliver the Harrow Strategic Partnership vision for Harrow as set out in the Community Plan- Manage the increasing expectations of residents- Deliver a balanced budget in the medium term and make a significant contribution to the 2010/11 budget- Maintain the current rate of performance improvement

The Vision

A vibrant civic culture in the Borough with residents participating in decisions, taking responsibility for assets and behaving in ways that:

- Improve personal quality of life

- Build social capital

- Ensure sustainability

- Prevent long term increases in calls on the public purse.

Objectives

● Manage resident expectations

● Communication benefits provided by public services in the Borough.

● Promote understanding of the impact of resident behaviour on the Borough

● Change resident behaviour with public services support / incentives for benefit of Borough

● Reduce future costs for Public Services

● Empower residents to take decisions about their own lives and neighbourhoods.

Potential residents role in transformation

Decision

Community

Delivery

Individual choice

Community Voice

Individual responsibility

Community mobilisation

Individual

Personalised budgets

Neighbourhood forums

Prosperity action teams

Physical Activity

Tenant responsibility

Channel migration

Running community assets

Neighbourhood champions

Care for elderly

Progress to date

● Significant outcomes already being achieved, e.g. recycling, personalised budgets, crime levels.

● Very comprehensive programme of work compared with some other Local Authorities.

● Project team in place made up of colleagues from Council, PCT, Police and Voluntary sector.

● Commissioned a detailed analysis of the key areas where resident behaviours can be influenced.

Progress to date

Researchers have:

● Reviewed Harrow Mosaic segments

● Carried out 12 focus groups with residents, staff and young people

● Carried out survey with 1000 residents

● Carried out 13 internal interviews

● Met with partners including Police, PCT, Voluntary Sector and TFL

● Carried out desk research of Harrow data and reports

● Carried out UK and international research into best practice example initiatives

Behaviours segmented into six categories

● Better Communities

● Better Health

● Better Environment

● Better Opportunities

● Better Communication

● Better Income

Some messages from research to date

● Some resistance to residents doing more – ‘we pay our Council tax’

● Differing levels of support among residents - Asian community generally the most positive.

● Healthy living changes are popular with residents – 64% support free leisure access/ 53% support discount leisure vouchers.

● Strong support for residents becoming volunteers – 68% willing to help elderly neighbours, 32% to help with community clean up events and 45% would join with neighbours to keep area clean.

● Residents aware of need for their contribution to caring for the vulnerable – 65% willing to help them move nearer to them/ 61% would have them move in with them.

● High willingness to report fly tipping (74%) and aggressive behaviour (81%).

Cross cutting themes

● Volunteering

● Communication

● Personalisation

● Community cohesion

Potential Business Cases/Research summaries

Business Cases

● Physical Activity ● Anti-social behaviour● Neighbourhood responsibility – environmental● Community assets● Tenant responsibility

Research summaries

● Responsibility for care● Recycling● Channel Migration

Physical Activity

Initiatives• Classes/activities in schools or other community locations.

• Free trials/inductions

• Free 6mth membership if attend gym/exercise class 50 times in 6mths.

• Walking groups/ Walk & cycle to school campaigns.

• Chequebook leisure scheme

‘I exercise for my health and to keep my weight

down and I go to the gym so I can smoke’ (Woman – urban ethnic minorities)

‘I walk to the shops rather than drive – it’s healthier and greener’ (Woman – comfortably

off middle aged and older people)

Benefits • Healthier population – reduced health care costs in the longer term. Residents incentivised to improve personal health.

• Recognition for improving health of residents and introducing innovative rewards.

• Wider choices for residents.

Anti-Social Behaviour

Initiatives• Youth outreach projects– e.g. ‘in from the cold’ in Wirral

• School buses

• Increase youth clubs/centres

• School links with parents

• Youth question time

‘I know they probably won’t do anything but you

still feel threatened’ (Woman – low income

families)

‘If it was a group of adults they wouldn’t ask them to disperse, but if

its kids they would’ (Female – young

person)

Benefits• Reduce fear of crime.

• Increase resident satisfaction.

• Reduction in incidents of antisocial behaviour.

• Engage hard to reach young people.

• Increase community cohesion levels.

Neighbourhood Responsibility - (Environmental)

‘People look after their front and back gardens

and don’t care about anything else, especially all the renters….’(Woman – comfortably off middle aged and older people)

‘Me and my neighbours already take turns (to mow a patch of grass’

(Man – suburban Asian families)

Initiatives• Volunteers ‘Adopt an area’ to keep clean and tidy

• Local clean streets competitions

• Report damage/mess online

• Graffiti packs

Benefits• Sense of pride and ownership in a neighbourhood/community involvement.

• Improved relationships between neighbours.

• Cleaner neighbourhoods.

Community assets (community ran/increased use)

‘Who would have the expertise to do it? I think

experts should look after it’‘If people aren’t paid it won’t be done properly’ (Woman

– comfortably off middle aged and older people’

‘Hatch End school is on of the best used schools

– shows, theatre, concerts’ (Man – low

income families)

Initiatives• Call for voluntary organisations to take over management of community centres. E.g. Friends of West House.

• Leisure centre run as a trust

• Utilise school facilities out of hours

• Involving young people in deciding use and maintenance of at least one Council asset.

Quant

Focus groups

Quant

Focus groups

• 68% supported idea for local community having say in the running of facilities

• 58% for local parks and 54% for leisure centres.

• Most residents unaware of any/many community halls near them.

• Residents in these groups rarely used community assets, e.g. school.

• Resistance to idea they could get involved in running local assets.

Benefits• Better access to local community assets for varying activities (e.g. - evening classes)

• Increased opportunity to mix with wider members of the community.

• Sense of ownership and involvement though deciding

on what community assets are used for. • Recognition for being willing to introduce schemes that give a greater say to local people.

Tenant responsibility

Quant

Quant

Focus groups

• Most Council tenants said they already fix minor things themselves.

• Most (including some of whom were Council tenants) were against rewards for meeting tenant conditions.

‘People like that (who damage property) have

got no respect. They should leave it as they

find it. If it was a private landlord they would hold the money back’ (Man –

low income families)

‘Its not your responsibility to fix what isn’t yours. They’ll say

you shouldn’t have touched it. It’s catch-22’

(Man – low income families)

Initiatives• Reverse deposit scheme – reward tenants for meeting conditions

• Saving deposit scheme – monthly amount deducted in first year.

• Not measured.

Benefits• Recognition for improving housing portfolio and being willing to introduce innovative reward based incentives - ensuring Council Tax money is used as efficiently as possible.

• Increased turnaround time of housing residents.

• Encourage a greater sense of responsibility for their properties.

• Savings achieved as tenants (tenant deposit scheme) deposits accrue interest.

Responsibility for Care

‘There's an elderly couple on my street who I help with the shopping, and if they know I’m home they

will ask for something’ (Woman – suburban

Asian families)

‘It depends on the health of the elderly

person. My mother had Alzheimer’s – I couldn’t

take care of her’ (Woman – comfortably

off middle aged and older people)

Initiatives• Older neighbour volunteer care scheme

• Carer support scheme

• Stop falls at home campaigns

• Increase uptake of personalised care budgets

• Harrow circle of support/ ‘eyes and ears’ scheme.

• Cross agency education for older people on how to stay independent.

Benefits• Building community cohesion levels.

• Reaching non-FACS residents.

• Providing modern and innovative services.

• Recognising substantial contribution made by carers and volunteers.

• Greater partnership with the Voluntary sector

Recycling‘There should be a fine if

you don’t recycle’ (Woman – urban ethnic

minorities)‘That’s good except if

passers-by put stuff in it after you’ve put it out’ (Man – urban ethnic

minorities)‘Its good to recycle, but you don’t know where it

goes. How much is genuinely recycled’

(Woman – urban ethnic minorities)

Initiatives• Targeted engagement by Mosaic segment

• Comms programme – what can be recycled and what happens to materials placed in bins.

• Competitions between schools on recycling initiatives

• Recycling rewards

• Aerobic bins

• In flat/house recycling bags

Benefits• Increased resident satisfaction levels.

• Increased recycling rates.

• Lower landfill charges

Channel Migration‘I’m not a great fan of having to fill in a form

online. You don’t know if you’ll ever get a reply. Telephone is instant’ (Man- comfortably off middle aged and older

people’

‘They could give you a text acknowledgment. I want to know they’ve received it’ (Woman –

urban ethnic minorities)

Initiatives• Publicity using Mosaic targeting

• E-mail acknowledgement

• Direct debit rewards.

• Competitions

Benefits• Online contact - build Harrow’s reputation as efficient and modern.

• Savings achieved as a result of increased direct debit penetration and decrease in postal/phone costs as residents move to online contact.

Discussion