Focus on the North West

The new North West excellence framework has been a driving force behind neighbourhood improvement, writes Helena Kettleborough director of Neighbourhoods North West

Last year saw the launch of a new neighbourhood management excellence framework for the North West.

With the first two pilots now completed, the benefits to the neighbourhood, and all those working to support residents in those areas, are evident.

The framework, developed by Neighbourhoods North West in association with North of England Excellence, has been piloted in two local authority areas – Blackpool and Preston – and they have both successfully achieved the first level of the standard ‘working towards excellence’.

By recognising the importance of the community’s involvement and support in making things work for their neighbourhood, the framework has provided an opportunity to increase confidence in delivery.

Positive impact

The process has also had a positive impact on councillors’ involvement with their neighbourhoods.

Cllr Salim Desal of Preston city council says it is a way of reassuring people that councillors can work together with residents and can take ground level community involvement to a new level.

There was a noticeable boost in staff and resident morale as they gained council-wide recognition for their achievements, including a thank you meal celebrating their achievements. Residents take pride in their involvement and achieving the first stage of the neighbourhood management excellence framework acknowledges their commitment.

The framework gives neighbourhood management teams the tools to review processes, acknowledge good practice, highlight excellent performance and develop improvements.

After going through the process, Preston made a number of changes to neighbourhood delivery based on the assessment recommendations, creating benefits for both the residents and the councillors.

This association with a recognised national model has enhanced the reputation of neighbourhood management and Preston is now looking at the possibility of extending the neighbourhood management partnerships thought the whole city.

“There was some suspicion about neighbourhood management to start with. The deprived areas were getting all these things and rural places weren’t. But by going through the excellence process we can now prove that the framework is robust and applicable to all, not just areas of deprivation,” says Cllr Bill Shannon.

Looking to the future of neighbourhood management, Peter Bargh, head of community engagement at Preston city council, says the new framework has also helped Preston demonstrate that their neighbourhood management model is what works in the heightened improvement and efficiency climate created by the devolution of funding to the regional improvement and efficiency partnerships (RIEPs).

He says the RIEP agenda has created a culture in local government where people understand the concepts of efficiency and regional improvement in a way they wouldn’t have done before.

“To be able to tack neighbourhood management to a background of regional improvement and efficiency has helped our case enormously,” he says.

“Neighbourhood management is no longer seen as a nebulous concept. It’s linked to a proper process of improvement and transformation.

” This year will see the roll out of the neighbourhood management excellence framework across the North West.

For more information see www.neighbourhoods-nw.co.uk