advising residents - supporting communities

Stoke CAB’s unique Residents Friend project continues to provide an invaluable link between Renew North Staffs and the communities affected by regeneration.

While much of the team’s work inevitably involves advising individual residents on how the programme will affect them personally, a growing part of the role has involved supporting residents’ participation in the process through the community steering groups.

Community steering groups have been established in each of the main regeneration areas, and consist of residents and housing and regeneration professionals.

The Residents Friend’s role is to work closely with the residents to make sure that they understand the issues at stake, have the necessary knowledge to participate in those discussions and make informed decisions about the future of their neighbourhoods.

To help residents participate fully in these groups the Resident’s Friends worked with the Neighbourhood Renewal Team and the steering groups to arrange a series of visits to regeneration schemes throughout North Staffordshire so that resident members could develop their understanding of regeneration activity and the issues within their neighbourhood and other areas.

In particular they visited those estates within the city which have been regenerated or are in the process so residents could see how other areas were affected. They also visited the Chatterley Whitfield Regeneration Project and many of the regeneration sites in the centre of the city including a walk through the City Waterside development.

Residents’ feedback for the tours was very positive with many commenting that they had a better understanding of the issues: “it was very useful to see the bigger picture of the area as a whole instead of just my immediate locality,” commented one resident. Another stated that: “it enabled me to see first hand what we had been discussing at the steering group, therefore giving me a better insight.”

Other work with the steering groups included supporting residents in making key decisions about which organisations would lead the process in their area and attracting new members by advertising and explaining their work at various community events.

Residents Friend staff also provide training to the residents representatives on compensation and the compulsory purchase procedure so they have accurate and up to date information at their finger tips.

“Many people are keen to have a say in the development and regeneration of the neighbourhoods in which they live,” said Hanley South residents’ Friend Geoff Davies. “Unfortunately regeneration is an activity full of jargon and complex technical information which many ordinary people simply don’t understand. Our role is to help them get to grips with this so they can have a say on issues which will affect their lives for years to come.”

“We also support residents involvement at consultation events by explaining the proposals in clear language, answering questions about the proposals or directing them to other sources of expert information and advice,” commented Meir Residents Friend Lorna Park.

“We also talk to residents at these events collecting their views about Renew and the process in general and pass this valuable feedback to partners at the City Council and Renew, she added.

But the heart of the work still remains one to one advice and support to individual residents affected by the proposals.

One such resident was “Joan”.