P.E.P.
The Training Day
(Wednesday, 26th February, 1992)
Those who went along to one of the Priority Estates Project meetings were asked as a matter of course if they wanted to go on a 'training day', to find out more about what would be involved, and what the options were, in having a greater say in running their estate. 'Hmmmmmmm...?' I thought. It doesn't commit anyone to anthing, they said. 'Hmmmmmmm...?' I thought. Lunch would be on us, they added as an afterthought. What day was that again?
Make your own way there by 9:30a.m., they said. Stakis Grand Hotel, they said. I put on a shirt and got there 9:20 -- I forgot to iron it.
Upon arriving though I found a schedule of the day's events sitting on my chair, it seemed that arriving took half a hour and included a coffee break. Already, I like the way these people thought. The rest of the day went as follows (not quite according to the schedule):
10:00a.m.
The main PEP presenter for the day was a Clair Short MP look-a-bit-like, Ann McLauchlan who started by telling us that the day wasn't about her standing up there telling us things but about us discussing things amongst ourselves and asking questions.
10:30a.m.
Now split intto five groups of about 3 each (there being about 17 of us, including 3 staff from the Dept. of Housing & Health, County Cllr Idwall Bowen, 4 people from the Abbey Hulton Residents' Group, and miscellaneous....(text missing)
.....for each of us, make coming here a day well spent. She must have been psychic for (?) ruled out the lunch. We were then given 5 minutes summing up time per group, to reveal our goals.
Most revealed how fed up they were of the City Council and revealed various gripes. These included reports of undone repairs, dangerously stacked paving stonges waiting to be relaid, and the difficulties of getting through to Unity House.
10:45-ish
It was small groups time again, this time 3 groups: the 3 staff, the Abbey, and us Bentileans. This time our topic was 'Our Ideal Estate -- 1995', and we were off again.
How to Manage Our Estate?
We generally agreed that:
Bentilee should be 'United'
But then
Just what did we mean by Bentilee?
(Ubberley, Bucknall, Townsend, Bentilee?)Any 'group' or 'board' need to be 'representative'
(with members taken from all parts of the estate)County Cllr Bowen insisted the need to be
"practical", whatever the idea favoured.The need for a Neighbourhood Office for repairs, etc.
In tthe general summing up...
...the Abbey group echoed the need for a local office, and added that tenants needed to take an active interest in their estates, that the younger generation (including children) shouldn't be left out of things. Further, the Housing staff agreed for the need to "simplify" and "personalise" the housing service. Decentralisation was mentioned but was left for guest speaker, John Musson -- PEP Project Co-ordinator.
11:30a.m.
John Musson was officially there to tell us "what the Council could do to help" and started by telling us what his section, the Tenancy Conditions Section, do already to help residents.
To date, this has included personally helping to establish and support 20 residents' associations: providing advice on setting up, an admin service (e.g. photocopying, leaflets), getting them a start-up grant of £50, and training in things like running committee meetings. They also attend residents' meetings, provide an informal contact point with the housing dept., and can put them into contact with other helping agencies.
Indeed, after the 1985 & 89 Housing Acts,
they are obliged to consult tenants
and keep them informed of what their plans are.
DECENTRALISATION
He also outlined that, whatever comes of these PEP meetings, the Council will in the next three years be moving their housing services out to 12 Teams -- each with their own local base -- in an effort to provide greater local accessibility, advice, local meeting rooms, formal enquiry systems, and more local liaison between the Council and its tenants.
Whatever happens, Bentilee will be getting
a Neighbourhood Office on, or around,
Devonshire Square.He also outlined a new option.....
...well, new to me. A Tenant's Federation. That is, a board made up of representatives from all the Tenants' Associations covering a particular area. This would have the advantage of requiring less commitment on the part of those involved, less responsibility, (though with less power too).
Lunch: Hmmmmmmm!
1:55p.m.
Drifting back from lunch and lively conversations, it was time to ask (and answer) some more questions:
- What kind of group would most likely realise our Ideal Estate of 1995?
- How would we communicate with our members?
- In what role did we see the Council's Housing Officers?
- What role for Councillors?
- And what resources would we need?
The Estate management Board option seemed the most favoured -- but with what powers/responsibilities? Our PEP advisor in this discussion pointed out that there's as many kinds od EMB as there are people wanting to set them up.
Chell Heath wasn't given any other options,
but we have many more....There was some concern expressed at the news that Galloway and Thornhill Rd has a 'Local Letting' powers which enable them to vetto prospective tenants from moving in -- being open to obvious abuse (e.g. racism, nepotism).
Newsletters, posters, leaflets, word-of-mouth, and the local media were all put forward as ways to keep people informed of local meetings, and plans, but the main thing was:
KEEP IT INTERESTING
The roles of Housing Officials and others had already been dealt with earlier, and it was restated that the main thing that would be needed was TRAINING -- and a whole lot more info about the various options on offer. (We go back on 4th March for this last bit.)
BUT THE KEY QUESTION POSED WAS
How far did WE want to get involved?
It was certainly a question to get us thinking. And it was re-itterated that EMBs weren't the only way to go, that inded, we didn't have to go any way. We could remain tenants, letting the Council carry on in its de-centralised way; join Tenant's Associations; establish an EMB; right through to forming a Housing Management Co-op and do the whole of the Council's job ourselves. In the words of PEP presenter, Ann McLauchlan, "We don't want to ram boards down your throat." Well, I was glad to hear it.
Copyright the Bentilean 1999
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