Alley-Gating

Tameside Community Safety

An effective deterrent against Burglars! Up to 75% Grants Available from Tameside Council

As residents of Tameside you will already be aware of the many initiatives being undertaken by Tameside Council working in partnership with other organisations with the specific goal of reducing crime within our Borough.

Organisations working to tackle crime have long since recognised that there is a pattern to many of the burglaries committed in the Borough. A high proportion of burglars use the rear of premises to gain entry. There are many reasons for this. The rear of many properties open onto dark, unlit and quiet alley-ways where the burglars can work unseen to gain entry to your house. They then use the alley to make their escape with your belongings.

There is a way to solve this problem. Tameside Council has opted to take advantage of a scheme which has brought about a significant drop in the number of burglaries in areas where it has been implemented.

'Alley-Gating' is a very simple crime preventative measure which involves erecting steel, self locking gates to the ends of alley-ways and passages that are the responsibility of the home owners who live around them. There are a number of other advantages in addition to reducing the levels of burglaries which include:-

• Reduced opportunities for youths to cause annoyance - This could mean anything from drinking in the alleys to taking drugs.
• Fewer problems of dog fouling by stray dogs.
• Safe play areas for children.
• Improved community spirit giving a sense of ownership of the alleys.
• Reduction in malicious fires.

However, the Council's main aim is to reduce the level of burglary within our Borough and that is why we have embraced the 'Alley-Gating' scheme.

The grant scheme made available by the Council...

Limited funding provided by the Home Office for a specific area of Tameside resulted in a high demand from residents for gating schemes to be initiated. The Council has recognised that there is a need for more funding to be made available to all residents of Tameside and has now introduced a grant scheme.

In addition to this New Charter Housing Trust have agreed to assist their tenants who have experienced burglary problems in their properties by working together with the Council in reducing crime.

As crime Reduction is a No. 1 priority with the Council, the grant has been made available from the Council to assist residents of Tameside who wish to undertake a gating scheme.

It will be a one off payment providing that applicants satisfy the following criteria:-

• The alley-way you wish to gate is unadopted (which means there is no right of way to any person other than the immediate residents within the area and is not a designated right of way or footpath)
• All residents are in agreement to a gating scheme going ahead

Upon receipt of your application for a grant the status of the alley-way will be clarified with the Engineers.

The Council will assist you in implementing your project and will engage a contractor on your behalf. They will also secure the permissions of landlords, establish ownership of empty properties and send out substantial paperwork to residents which is essential to ensuring the success of your project.

Orders can only be placed on receipt of the residents contributions.

The location of the gates is decided by the Project Manager based on advice from Greater Manchester Police to achieve maximum protection.

How to apply for and implement a successful 'alley-gating' scheme and important things to consider

1. Check with Engineers Department whether the alley that you wish to gate is unadopted. This information will be double checked by the Community Safety Unit to ensure that what you will be doing is strictly within the law.
2. Obtain an information pack from Community Safety Unit which contains a blank signature list
3. Obtain signatures from all those affected by the gates to indicate that they are in approval to alley gates being erected. This is to ensure that no-one can claim that they were not in agreement.
4. Complete the application for grant funding and return it to the Community Safety Unit as directed.
5. Agree a system for wheelie-bin management with your neighbours. The refuse collection service will not keep copy keys and therefore all residents should ensure that the bins are placed outside of the gates on the day of collection and returned once they have been emptied. Consideration should also be given to the elderly and disabled who may struggle to move their bins. Arrangements should be made between all residents to assist those people that may require help.

Important things to consider:

• Thought should be given to an on-going maintenance fund for the gates. We would suggest that all residents contribute a small sum of a few pounds per year to be placed in a communal bank account to fund any maintenance or repairs that they may require.
  
  
• Access for the Fire Service - The most important thing to bring to your attention is the access for the Fire Service. Under Section 30 of the Fire Services Act 1947 all brigades have the power to enter premises with the obvious intention of saving lives. With the number of gates now being erected within Tameside, all brigade personnel, wherever possible, will be trained to negotiate the gates without causing any damage. However there will always be that slight possibility that they will get damaged. Under the regulations the Fire Brigade are under no obligation to pay for any damage caused. Therefore the onus would be on residents to pay from the maintenance fund which we advise you to set up at the beginning of your project. Similarly the fund would pay for vandalism, repairs, maintenance and anything else relating to the gates themselves.
  
  
• The alley-ways that the Council gates are all unadopted which means they are not rights of way although someone may have acquired a right of way through usage. The worst case scenario would be that the gates have to be removed which would be most unfortunate for everybody concerned especially given the impact these gates have on crime. All residents about to submit money to any schemes will be informed of the above in writing prior to orders being placed.
  
  
• Contractors chosen by Residents - Every resident has the option of placing an order direct with their own contractor. However, if this is the case, a copy of the gating specification must be provided by the Community Safety Unit and given to your contractor prior to quotations. This is to ensure that the standard of gates being erected in the Tameside Borough are consistent with our requirements.
  
  
• Landlord/Empty Properties - In the cases of tenants living in properties their signatures must be obtained together with their landlord details so that can be contacted by me direct. Similarly if there are empty properties in your block you must identify these on your signature list and I will make investigations as to the owners and obtain their signatures.
  
  
• Code of Conduct for Street Representatives - Due to a small minority of street representatives releasing the names and addresses of people who do not wish to proceed with schemes I am having to issue a code of conduct for street representatives. The problems caused, that Community Safety have to rectify when an objectors name is released, are numerous and the Unit does not wish to be seen to be fuelling neighbourhood disputes when reducing crime is the objective. Therefore street representatives are asked under no circumstances are any names to be released to other residents and the code of conduct reiterates this.
  
  
• Gate Management - Once the gates are erected they become the property of the residents protected by them and the Community Safety Unit cannot assist in resolving issues such as wheelie bin management, problems with residents failing to close them or any other differences between residents on how they are managed.

To apply for a grant towards your scheme you must complete the application form and forward it to the Community Safety Unit. Upon receipt the relevant checks with regards to legality of your scheme will be clarified and you will be notified whether you have been successful.

Contact Information
Send us a Message	Community Safety Unit Tameside MBC Council Offices Wellington Road Ashton under Lyne Lancs OL6 6DL View local map
0161 342 3052
0161 342 2379