The priorities for this year

The most important role of the Area Panel is to make sure that the Council and other organisations such as the police and NHS provide services that respond to what local people want and need. The Area Panel has recently updated its annual plan which looks at what needs improvement and how this can happen.

More good quality childcare and school places

Children are the future – and therefore it’s important to have available good quality childcare for very young children; and sufficient places with good primary schools. If parents and carers want to get paid employment, local high quality childcare is essential – and where there isn’t enough, this has to be provided.

Better shopping and affordable housing

To attract people to the area and to keep the wealth local, flourishing shops and services are needed in the district centres; and there has to be enough affordable housing.

Improving health and environment

Regeneration money has done a lot but there are still some issues that need to be addressed: for example, why some people suffer with poor health, what some older people need or what support is there for people with problematic mental health.

The Street Champions’ work is happening this year – and then we’ll see if we can roll it out to more areas.

We also want to look at how to improve relationships both within and between communities.

How can things happen?

The Panel will try and achieve this in two ways. First, the Panel can use its direct control over resources to make some things happen. For example, the Panel got £220,000 this year from the government’s Neighbourhood Renewal Fund to support particular local initiatives. This money is used:

• to staff and run Fir Vale youth entitlement programme for children;

• to help staff the Burngreave community forester’s post;

• to help Green City Action employ their festivals worker post;

• for the ‘bring out your rubbish’ days;

• for the floral displays around Ellesmere Green and at Page Hall;

• for the Community Chest fund

The Panel also gets £10,000 a year for “modest highways” schemes – like bollards, dropped curbs, and handrails.

Secondly, the Panel can influence both Council services and other public sector agencies – about how they work in Burngreave. We have been working with the Northern General Hospital to explore how hey can make a positive contribution to the area as well as reducing some of the possible problems such as car parking.

How will you know what’s happening?

The Area Panel provides you with an opportunity to be kept informed about how these issues are being handled and resolved. At each Area Panel public meeting, one or more of these issues will be considered. It’s your opportunity to hear the view of the Council and what’s being done locally, to ask questions or have your say.

For the next meeting and other information, look at the Area Panel website: http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/in-your-area/area-action/burngreave-area-action.