Our estate located in Oldbury, is part of Borough of Sandwell which for those who don't know is in the West Midlands. If the name Sandwell is unfamiliar to you , then you may recognise the area by its more traditional name of the Black Country. Sandwell (or the Black Country) is renowned for its strong sense of community, and our estate is no exception.The new Henry Street Tenants & Residents Association representing 113 properties across the estate, with a mixture of 3 bedroom houses plus 2 storey blocks of flats. We have a considerable number of senior citizens living on the estate, but few families with children.
Membership of our association is free and open to all Council Tenants, Homeowners and Private Tenants who live on the estate.
Why We Got Together In The First Place
The New Henry Street Tenants & Residents Association was originally formed with the assistance and support of Sandwell Council, as many properties on the estate are Council owned. The group came together as a result of concerns held by many people on the estate around anti-social behaviour, criminality, and general nuisance as well as to voice concerns regarding the general upkeep and maintenance of properties on the estate. As with most instances of anti-social behaviour this could be attributed to a very small minority who were making life difficult for the majority!
Prior to the formation of our association there had been a marked increase of vehicle crime, vandalism. People on the estate where concerned and many had been targeted, and where suffering as a result from a range of criminal activity mostly centred around vehicle crime. Such offences included theft from residents vehicles, criminal damage and even cars being set on fire which were parked on the estate. Some of the car parks on the estate where also regularly being used by joy riders to dump stolen vehicles.
If this sounds like an unpleasant picture, then it is one that is being faced by many residential areas up and down the UK. Following a period of lengthy consultation and meetings with local tenants, residents and other partners our group was formed in 2002. We held our inaugural meeting on the 12th March 2002 at the local Rhodia Social Club.
The turnout for this first meeting among our local tenants and residents was highly encouraging. The meeting featured guest speakers from our local Police beat team, Local Neighbourhood Office as well as the Council's Anti-Social Behaviour Team.
Since that first meeting the Association has worked towards improving our local environment and maintaining our sense of community spirit, for the benefit of all those who live locally. The meetings we continue to hold are regularly attended by tenants and residents from the estate as well as representatives from other organisations - including local housing officers, ward members among others. These meetings are held to bring out and discuss general community and social issues.
Since we formed our group things have improved dramatically on the estate to the benefit of all. By having the association we have been able to speak with a united voice and equally importantly as a group, we have been able to form a network of contacts that have enabled us to link up resources that could action events on our behalf.
We would strongly urge others who face similar problems to those we have experienced to consider forming their own group. We have learnt from our own experience that it is far more successful to seek support and help as a group rather than as separate individuals, battling alone for change and improvement. |
