Power to the people promoted at community road show (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)

Power to the people promoted at community road show

HOUSING estate managers are hoping to develop residents associations in more deprived areas to help build a sense of community spirit.

Barnet Homes, whose staff are instigating the move, hope the groups will bring together people from a variety of backgrounds who are living on estates across the borough.

The aim is to provide a stronger voice for the community when discussing large scale regeneration plans or addressing queries regarding general problems around maintenance or crime on the estates.

The idea will be promoted during a series of road shows, which were launched today on the Whitefields estate, in Cricklewood.

Organisers said there will also be more engagement between residents and staff from Barnet Homes in a bid to improve peoples' links to their surrounding area.

Deborah Beckford, residents involvement officer for Barnet Homes, who works on the Whitefields estate, said: “We want to set up residents associations and we are really keen to get residents involved more in the places they live in.

“When it comes to consultations on the future of their area, like near here at Brent Cross, if they have a group behind them their voice is louder.

“They can become more involved in the process and when that happens they can convey back to other residents what is going on, and that helps build good relationships.”

Information stalls were set up on a grass area at the heart of the estate and tenants were invited to join in the music and activities throughout the Love Where you Live day.

Staff from the management organisation also carried out small jobs such as gardening, planting new flower beds and litter picking, in a bid to give the area face lift.

David Thomas, performance and information manager at Barnet Homes, said: “We are not going to change the world in a day but it is about making the first step.

“We are going to small areas where there may be lots of people and where many of them may be from different backgrounds.

“The community is about friends and neighbours coming together to share the neighbourhood. If you love where you live you are more likely to look out for the area and neighbours.”

Contractors Connaught carried out work on the homes by repairing small faults, while staff also cleared the estate of broken fencing and cleaned walls of graffiti in preparation for a community mural.

Mother Darshana Trivedi, who has lived in the area for more than 13 years, welcomed the activity day on her doorstep and said: “There is really good information available.

“There are people who can't get to the offices for help so if the staff come here more people can get the information.

“It feels good to meet other people. My children are happy with the music, which makes it quite lively.”

Further road shows are due to visit estates in Mill Hill, East Finchley, and Hendon later in the summer.