Neighbourhood Days
Over the last few years we have held Neighbourhood Days in Ryde, Cowes, East Cowes and Newport, which attracted around 900 people in total. The aim was to create an opportunity for tenants and staff to meet and exchange views, and for tenants and other local residents to meet each other.
In general, these events have been very worthwhile, with positive feedback and excellent information obtained through consultation exercises. However, they have come at a cost to us in terms of both time and money. Because of this and our commitment to continue to find new ways of engaging with our customers, we commissioned Mary Norledge (ex-Pan Neighbourhood Partnership Joint Manager) to review how effective the events have been, and how best we can plan them for the future.
Mary has reported that the events, particularly the Ryde days, have been effective and produced valuable outcomes. These include:
- opportunities for neighbours to meet
- engagement with non-MHA residents
- links with other service providers
- getting information on residents’ views.
Her overall conclusion was that on current costs (approximately £2,000 per event) the Neighbourhood Day approach has offered good value for money. Mary also recommended:
- better marketing, including more notice of events
- clearly set out expectations of the events
- improved questionnaires and consultation exercises
- clearer communication.
Mary suggested a number of different options for future events. One idea is for themed events concentrating on topics like health or employment.
It is clear that neighbourhood events are an important tool in delivering our Neighbourhood Strategy. While past events have been successful, we need to consider different approaches for different neighbourhoods.
Pictured: Neighbourhood Day at Vectis Road, East Cowes