Local partnership scheme as good as gold

The Housing Corporation Gold awards are designed to promote ‘excellence in housing’ and William Sutton Homes has been shortlisted in the ‘building cohesive communities’ for its work as part of the Rekendyke Partnership.  This partnership was designed to improve the lives and neighbourhoods of people living locally. 

Operating in the area known as ‘the Long Streets’, the Rekendyke Partnership was set up in 2005 to address a number of factors, including the transient community there; anti-social behaviour and high levels of unemployment.  To deliver the partnership’s aims they piloted and developed the first Neighbourhood Action Plan in South Tyneside and widely consulted with all sections of the community.

The partnership has generated many positive local initiatives, including a community house at Marshall Wallis Road, increased opportunities for learning, and developing skills and the establishment of a community caretaker.

North East regional manager Lisa Russell said she was delighted.

She said: “We are very proud of the work of the Rekendyke Partnership. The feedback we have had has been great, and it quickly acquired a momentum of its own, with residents telling us what they wanted to see in the area and the partnership acting on their requests.
“The Long Streets project is a great example of what can happen when residents, a housing association, a council and other agencies work in partnership to improve the area.”
Cllr Ed Malcolm, chairman of the Rekendyke Partnership Management Board., said the project had made a real difference to residents.

He said: “It has had an extremely positive effect on the environment and has provided health opportunities and education opportunities for residents.

“I feel sure that if we maintain the momentum and enthusiasm which we have got it will continue to go from strength to strength.”

Sylvia Brown, head of community services at South Tyneside Council, said: “The Rekendyke Partnership is one of our key projects in delivering our award-winning Neighbourhood Working programme, and has achieved great results, especially in the area of community cohesion.  The lessons we have learned from our work with the partnership is now informing our wider programme of grass roots neighbourhood renewal.”

Competition judges will now visit the area on Tuesday, 11 March, ahead of announcing a final winner at an awards ceremony in London on May 13.

There are three categories in the awards, Building Cohesive Communities, Delivering Joined Up Development and Tackling Worklessness. Eighteen housing associations across the country have been shortlisted for awards. Up to three winners in each category will receive £50,000, which will be used to share best practice knowledge through the sector.


Ends

Notes to Editors

William Sutton Homes was created last year, combining the hundred year heritage of William Sutton with the stock transfer roots of Ridgehill.  We now have a range of over 20,000 homes throughout England, from Plymouth to Newcastle-upon-Tyne, which are managed through a national network of local offices.

• William Sutton Homes achieved 85% customer satisfaction levels in our most recent survey;
• Our residents are encouraged to have a real say in how their homes are managed through a variety of methods from board membership to mystery shopping exercises;
• We invested £19 million in our residents’ homes during the last year including kitchen, bathroom, heating and window replacement programmes and over 90% of our homes already meet the Government’s Decent Homes standard;  
• We are contributing to the Government’s agenda of increasing the number and range of affordable homes and currently have an ambitious plan to develop over 1,000 new properties through 2006/2008, and
• Our regeneration work is complemented by our community investment programme which saw us contribute almost £2 million to community projects and initiatives last year. 

William Sutton Homes is part of the Affinity Sutton Group, one of the largest independent providers of affordable housing in the country, with 50,000 homes across the country from Plymouth to Newcastle.  A business for social purpose, our surpluses are invested in our communities, our existing homes and our active new homes development programme.

For more information please contact Jonathan Goode at The Bridge Group at j.goode@bridge-group.co.uk or call 024 76 560440.