Local Environmental Quality Issues

We were commissioned by Birmingham City Council to undertake an interim and final evaluation of their Local Innovation Fund. This £2m fund was set up to enable local community based projects to be developed which had an emphasis on enabling different ways of working such as collaboration between groups. The fund also was designed to ensure projects met local ward and city-wide priorities. Many of these projects were focussed upon environmental projects. 

A key element of the evaluation was to judge the extent to which councillors worked with residents and known constituted community groups to prepare proposals along with establishing whether innovative delivery models had been established.

To assess the extent to which projects had incorporated innovation in their design and implementation we developed a five component model. These five components, if all in place, would mean that a project could be seen to be innovative in its design. These five elements being it should:

• Be based on a strong bottom up approach; 

• Have a clear collaborative approach to identification of need and delivery;

• Be transformative in purpose and/or promote active citizenship;

• Be able to demonstrate its potential for sustainability; and 

• Have SMART outcomes such that successful innovation can be tangibly demonstrated.

The evaluation combined consultations with project representatives, councillors and officers managing the fund with the development of a range of good practice case studies from across the city.

The report included lessons learnt from the process along with recommendations on the future design of community based service delivery and governance and on the role of councillors in relation to their community leadership role.

The final report included a greater focus on the outcomes achieved by the projects and the programme itself. This examined the wider impacts made such as on service design and delivery, in developing the capacity of projects and individuals and on different models of sustaining the projects. A wide range of conclusions and recommendations were made including those relating to the future direction of neighbourhood work in the city and the need to share good practice and models of work.

We completed a contract for Birmingham City Council to design a training package toolkit for primary school children. This training package was focussed upon environmental problem solving in their local area and how they could become involved in looking after their community.

The package includes an activity book for the young people to follow with accompanying teacher notes and presentational material. The topics include identifying issues, basic problem solving, audit techniques, how they can play their part and designing an assembly to present their findings. The training could result in a Junior Warden scheme being set-up.

We were commissioned by Encams (now Keep Britain Tidy Group) to compile a toolkit of good practice examples in engaging local businesses in environmental work. The toolkit also included a variety of materials that could be used to assist in this process including a self-assessment framework to evaluate current activity.

The toolkit was structured around specific environmental training topics and issues such as trade waste, fast food, cafe culture, engaging with businesses and enforcement work. The toolkit contained resources on all of these issues such as checklists, how to guides, flowcharts and good practice.

We also have previously undertaken  a range of other contracts for Encams (now Keep Britain Tidy). 

These include providing advisory consultancy support for the North West Liveability Foundation. This involved producing a community engagement toolkit for South Ribble which was specifically focused on engaging local communities and third sector organisations with environmental improvement schemes. In addition we advised other areas on developing a neighbourhood management approach, on formulating an environmental education strategy and creating an action plan for engaging with students. Other contracts included producing a toolkit on engaging with businesses, facilitating effective commissioning master classes and work for Defra aimed at creating local partnerships to tackle environmental crime. 

We were commissioned by Sefton MBC to undertake an impact evaluation of a number of environmental initiatives that had been implemented in the south of the borough. Many of these initiatives had been funded by external sources including European Union grants along with those delivered by mainstream activity.

Quantitative and qualitative information was analysed, including that from a range of stakeholder interviews and from a survey template. This information was used to create an assessment matrix and evidence base to inform future funding decisions and to extrapolate local good practice. We undertook a critical assessment of the performance of each scheme to identify good practice and areas for improvement. 

A range of conclusions and recommendations were made which influenced future services in the area.

Following a previously successful project elsewhere in the borough Brentwood Community Safety Partnership wished to develop an enhanced project in the Pilgrims Hatch area. Community members and local workers in the area had reported a series of anti-social behaviour issues. The partnership accepted the issues being faced in Pilgrims Hatch and we were commissioned to undertake preliminary research into the neighbourhood. This process identified what the key issues were and more importantly that there was a willingness by local residents to participate. This liveability consultation used a multi-methodological approach, combining one-to-one interviews with active local residents and agency residents with a neighbourhood wide survey.

At the outset we trained a cohort of key local residents in Environmental Problem Solving and audit skills. This training was accredited by the Open College Network providing the participants with an award on completion of the training and assessment tasks. The aim of the training was to provide the residents, and some local workers, with the skills and knowledge to enable them to participate on an equal basis in developing action plans for the area.

Following this training, and a number of successful residents and agency meetings, the Pilgrims Hatch Partnership was established. This work set overall key outcomes and were related to the core aim of the project of reduction in anti-social behaviour and specifically criminal damage. In the area a very impressive reduction in anti-social behaviour reports of 25% compared with a Borough-wide reduction of 8% occurred and criminal damage saw a reduction of 35%.

Specific successes achieved included:

• Developing zero tolerance to anti-social behaviour and graffiti. Achieving a very impressive reduction in anti-social behaviour reports of 25% compared with a Borough-wide reduction of 8%. Criminal damage has seen a      reduction of 35%.
• The establishment of Chillax, a drop in session for disaffected young people run by volunteers with the premises provided free of charge by a local church.
• Open College Network      Accreditation for 7 residents in Environmental Problem Solving.
• An Environmental Audit Team who audit the area every six months.
• Regular Environmental Action Days involving the whole community.
• Several community events have been held such as a Senior Citizens Day attended by over 100 people including the local MP.
• Regular newsletters to keep whole community informed of Partnership activities and promote involvement.

This work led to us being shortlisted in the Involving and Engaging Communities category of the UK Housing Awards 2011. 

We have subsequently been involved in further training and support contracts in Brentwood and indeed have provided further training for the Pilgrims Hatch Environmental Partnership that evolved from this work. This training increased the number of volunteers involved; building the skills of the wider partnership. In addition we developed an on-line reporting method for the results of the audits.