Citizens Panel Newsletter Summer 2009
Citizens' Panel Newsletter
Issue 6: Summer 2009
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In this newsletter:
Welcome!
This is the latest Citizens’ Panel update where we tell you the results from our Summer 2009 survey. Thanks so much to all of you who took the time to fill in the questionnaires and send them back to us. The results are really helping us to make informed decisions when planning and developing services across the Council.
Blooming Marvellous!!
Tameside in Bloom makes Tameside a cleaner, safer, greener place in which to live, work and visit. We are always really interested to hear your views on how we are getting on and we were really pleased to see that just as many of you think that the floral displays make the area look better as in 2007. In fact, nearly three quarters of you (71%) think that the floral displays make you feel better about the area where you live. We will continue to work hard so that these results are even better next year!
We are glad to hear that the vast majority of you (91%) agree with the work we do enabling young offenders to work on community projects such as painting park benches and assisting with large-scale clean-ups.
It was interesting to see that there was a slight reduction in the number of people who noticed the floral displays in the borough, although the number of you that did (87%) remains impressively high. We wonder if this may be due to people becoming more familiar with the displays each year, so next year we will work even harder to introduce ever more imaginative and innovative displays.
We are currently waiting for the results of this year’s North West in Bloom competition, which we will receive later on this year.
We are hoping that we will be nominated to represent the North West in the national Britain in Bloom competition 2010.
In 2010 we will again be hosting our Gardeners’ Question Time event at the Broadoak Hotel in March, and the Tameside Horticultural Show at Stalybridge.
For more information about Tameside in Bloom please contact Jessica Brooks, Tameside in Bloom Officer. 0161 303 8547 Stalybridge Civic Hall, Trinity Street, Stalybridge SK15 2BN
Thank You!
For five years now, the members of Tameside’s Citizens’ Panel have been telling us their feelings about crime and anti-social behaviour. The information which you have given us has helped us to develop action plans for the local Police, Patrollers, Fire Service and many more.
Of course we tackle the most serious crime like burglary, robbery and violence but from what the Panel has told us, we know that residents are also concerned about issues such as littering and dog fouling. Because of this, Tameside Patroller Service has been working hard to reduce these problems.
Safe Tameside
We’ve had some great results again this year! We wanted to know whether you felt crime had gone up or down in the last two years.
We were really glad to see that fewer of you think crime has gone up in Tameside, 7% less compared with last year.
It is also fantastic news that the majority of you (96%) feel safe in your neighbourhood and in your town centres (93.3%)
We use this information to help run campaigns to encourage more people to feel safe in the borough like the ‘Most People Feel Safe Campaign’ which was based on survey results from last year.
One of our challenges is to improve perceptions of anti-social behaviour. For this reason we developed ‘Safe 4 Summer’ with the Youth Service to provide activities for young people over the summer holiday period.
Anti-social behaviour peaks in the summer so ‘Safe 4 Summer’ was designed to provide young people with enough interests and activities to keep them safe and out of trouble, while offering advice about personal safety and promoting social responsibility messages.
Smoke Alarms Save Lives!
A smoke alarm will wake you up in your house at night and will give you and your family vital extra time to escape. We were delighted to hear that over nine tenths of you (91.8%) now have a working smoke alarm in your home BUT because smoke alarms are so important and could save your life we want that figure to be 100%!
Smoke alarms can cost as little as £5 and are available from DIY stores, electrical shops and many supermarkets and high-street retailers but you can get a free smoke alarm and fire safety check by booking a home fire risk assessment. When you book a home fire risk assessment, fire fighters will visit your home at a prearranged time and accompany you around every room in your property with the aim of:
- Making you aware of the fire risks in your home
- Making sure you know what to do in order to reduce these risks
- Helping you put together an escape plan
- Ensuring you have a working smoke alarm; and if you don’t, we will fit a free ten-year smoke alarm
Book a Free home fire risk assessment now! Booking a Free home fire risk assessment couldn't be simpler. Simply call 0800 555 815 or visit www.manchesterfire.gov.uk 
Fighting Fire on Two Wheels
The fire service has launched a team of officers on bicycles to fight nuisance fires which occur in streets, parks and open spaces and can spoil people’s enjoyment of an area and make them feel less safe.
As well as working in partnership with other organisations such as Environmental Services and housing providers to remove rubbish that could be set on fire, the officers also work with Tameside’s Building Control Department to secure derelict and eyesore buildings to ensure they don’t become a target for vandalism or crime.
The scheme has proved to be a success and is set to expand this autumn with 20 more bicycles to be added with volunteer riders.
“We have been heard”
Council officers were given the chance to meet members of the Citizens’ Panel and hear your views on the borough’s most pressing issues.
Nearly 40 panel members attended the Ask The Panel event in Dukinfield Town Hall.
The Council identified four key areas that we wanted to hear your views on:
- Crime
- Childhood Obesity
- Housing Market Challenges
- The Recession
Residents were divided into groups where Council officers gave them background information on the issues in hand and then led discussions enabling residents to ask questions, express opinions and talk about their own experiences.
Officers were given a fantastic opportunity to hear what you think of the work we carry out, what you think we do well and where you think we need to improve. The comments, opinions and recommendations that you gave us are all being put together into a report which will go to senior staff in the Council who will look at what you told us and develop action plans.
The event was enjoyed by all who took part and Panel Members grasped the opportunity to express their views. “We have been heard,” commented one participant, “lovely to meet people who carry out the hard work”.
The event was considered a great success by all involved and the most commonly expressed suggestion for future Ask The Panel events was that it should go on for longer!
Many thanks again to all of you who took part.