Story by Andy Shallice, Area Co-ordinator for Burngreave Area Panel.
Some of you will know Kieron Williams who previously wrote this column. Last November, he was successful in becoming the Healthy Cities Co-ordinator for the City Council. Kieron left Burngreave in mid-January and wanted to convey his thanks to everyone who he worked with whilst at Burngreave.
My name is Andy Shallice, and I’m the new Area Co-ordinator for Burngreave and Fir Vale. I have previously worked as Area Co-ordinator for Darnall and Tinsley, before that in the Race Equality Unit in the Town Hall.
So after two weeks, what are my first impressions as the new area coordinator?
(Well it’s not really two weeks as I’ve spent most of the second week becoming a qualified first aider, via St John’s Ambulance). First, a real sense of welcome from all sorts of people – people that I’ve known for some time, and people who I’ve only just met.
Secondly, the area’s changing – the shops on Spital Hill, the Green and at Owler Lane; the children in the primary schools, and some of their new buildings; Friday prayers at the mosques that are certainly expanding (still with most of the attenders travelling by car). For someone who was familiar with these localities, you realise the need to get to re-know the neighbourhoods.
Thirdly, the sense of more change to come. How will the inner ring road affect the area? What will be the outcome of the ‘housing renewal’ plans? What impact will a Tesco’s have on Fir Vale shops? Can the range of opinions about the future of Spital Hill and Page Hall be captured and brought together…? Will the positive impact of New Deal have a wider effect?
The Council in Sheffield has recently been rated as ‘excellent’ by the inspectors, and the transformations in the centre have also been praised.
It seems to me that the benchmark for the next five years is whether these same successes can be reproduced in Fir Vale, Pitsmoor, Firshill and Burngreave.
The Area Panel has got three main purposes. To hold regular public meetings which allow anyone and everyone to ask questions, listen to debate and discussion, and suggest improvements in the whole range of Council services.
To make sure that Council services in this area are what the people and the local communities need and want. And to investigate ways of making sure more resources are available to improve the way the local communities function.
But perhaps the value of the Area Panel is not so obvious. It is how it can use its influence ‘behind the scenes’.
Last week I was at the New Deal education theme discussion. Five ‘study support’ projects (working with students after school and at weekends) were reporting on their work, and the impact they were beginning to have. How will the Education Directorate be able to support and sustain this kind of initiative? How will the local schools (on top of all the other ‘extras’ they have to consider) work alongside such communityled programmes? Are there suitable buildings and facilities for study support projects? Area Panels have a good record in providing opportunities for ‘the Town Hall’ to give the answers. We need to make sure the answers are to the questions that are relevant in Burngreave, Pitsmoor, Firshill and Fir Vale.
So what can you do? The next Panel meeting is Thursday 31st March at 6.30pm. We’ve not agreed a venue yet but if you want to attend, ring me on 276 9134 or Marilyn King 0773 636 2179. The agenda isn’t finalised, but it is likely to be Parkwood Landfill or environmental programmes and improvements.