North West Liveability Foundation (NWLF) Partner Case Study:
Stockport Council in partnership with Stockport Homes:
As an early stage partner of the North West Liveability Foundation (NWLF), Stockport Council has joined forces with Stockport Homes Limited to target improvement in local environmental quality in the Brinnington area. Brinnington lies adjacent to Stockport town centre and the industrial areas of Portwood and Bredbury and to the south the M60 motorway. It has a population of 6,508 people and is predominately residential in nature. The main estate area was built in the 1950’s and is made up of a mix of tower blocks, low rise flats, maisonettes and terrace houses. Approximately sixty percent of housing stock is managed by Stockport Homes on behalf of Stockport Council.
The partner programme for the NWLF includes a wide range of Keep Britain Tidy services, including attendance at one partner network meeting per year, the NWLF Annual Conference in Manchester in May 2009 and three partner action learning days throughout the year. As part of the NWLF, partners also gain membership to the national Keep Britain Tidy Network.
Stockport Council hosted the first partner action learning day on community engagement back in April 2009. They have also taken advantage of reduced rates for Keep Britain Tidy training courses and attended a graffiti course, which provided practical tips on the removal and prevention of graffiti and also focused on the legislation available to deal with the issue.
An important part of the NWLF partner programme is the combination of the market research ‘resident perception’ study and the ‘on the ground’ local environmental quality survey within the specific area of Brinnington. The results of both surveys have been fed back to Stockport Council and Stockport Homes and the issues raised have been used to formulate a targeted action plan to tackle the perceived problems and improve local environmental quality within the area.
For the market research element, quantitative survey of 238 residents living in Brinnington was conducted. The doorstep survey lasted approximately 10 minutes, and was conducted over weekends, week days and evenings to ensure a representative sample. The research aimed to establish residents’ perceptions of their local environment, their feelings of safety on the estate, use of services and how these factors interact.
Results:
• Results of the resident perception study were pleasing with high levels of satisfaction. Eight out of ten residents were satisfied with the area overall and similar levels were satisfied with waste services and parks and open spaces.
• Just over three quarters of all residents felt safe overall. Despite this satisfaction the survey did identify clear priority actions.
• Graffiti and young people hanging around on the street were highlighted by the residents as the local environmental quality issues which were most problematic. These were then closely followed by off road biking, dog fouling and chewing gum.
• The ‘on the ground’ survey highlighted graffiti, litter, dog fouling and the cleanliness, condition and level of fill of litter bins as the local environmental quality issues that were most problematic in the area.
• The most important neighbourhood issues that were raised by residents were young people having somewhere to go, street lighting and the frequency with which litter bins are emptied.
• The ‘on the ground’ survey also highlighted the condition of bus stops as well as the levels of graffiti and the surrounding litter and staining as needing improvement.
Moving Forward:
Stockport Council in partnership with Stockport Homes Limited has established a liveability steering group to work with key partners and services in the neighbourhood to produce an action plan based on the findings of both pieces of work. The action plan has short, medium and long terms actions that will be delivered by an operational group who will concentrate on working with residents in partnership with the key partners and services within the neighbourhood to improving the levels of litter, dog fouling and graffiti.
April Higson, Director of Housing Management for Stockport Homes Limited states that: “The North West Liveability Foundation project in Brinnington provides a great opportunity to make a real difference to the environmental quality of the neighbourhood. Following independent customer and physical surveys an action plan has been developed, in partnership with customers and other agencies working in the neighbourhood to help address environmental issues. The project also provides the opportunity to share best practice and learning with partners locally and across the region and help to ensure that we continue to maintain and improve the sustainability of our neighbourhoods, providing quality places where people want to live, be proud of and which others will respect.”
Councillor Stuart Bodsworth, Stockport Council’s Executive Member for the Environment, said: “This is a very positive project which will make a real difference to the everyday lives of people living in the Brinnington area. The Council has dedicated teams of staff working very hard to make Stockport cleaner and to reduce the antisocial problems of dog fouling, graffiti and litter. Environmental quality in our neighbourhoods is very important because it can have a massive influence on everyone who lives, works and visits the area.”
For further information please contact:
Johanna Smith
Area Cleanliness Manager
Stockport Council
T: 0161 474 4896
E: Johanna.smith@stockport.gov.uk