On Friday 22nd July I (David Elvidge) joined Graham Stuart MP and my colleague, fellow Cllr Kerri Harold to meet with residents on the Swinemoor Estate in Beverley to discuss issues that affect their everyday lives and that of their friends and neighbours.
We walked to the all weather pitch and the residents seemed glad to be reassured that very soon the all weather pitch would become the responsibility of the three churches group and looked forward to seeing how this group would work within their community and engage with the young people of that area. It was also agreed that the area around the pitch had been sorely neglected while issues with the trust that ran the facility were addressed, but everyone was now hopeful that this was soon to be a thing of the past and we all wished to look forward.
Another topic brought up was a recent survey undertaken by East Riding of Yorkshire Council that was sent to all Council tenants and it was felt that this excluded private home owners who wished to be consulted; we all agreed this should and would be sent out to the whole estate to gauge the feelings of the community as a whole.
While there Graham was told about the Humber Colts efforts to bring together various age groups to play football and form teams, we all agreed how good it was to see something brought about for the community by people from within it. We spoke of the benefits to the community that structured sports involvement bring and this along with East Riding of Yorkshire Council sports development workers and Humberside Police “twilight football” were thought to be tools that chipped away at anti social behaviour and should be supported.
We left with a promise that we would be back to hold another meeting in September when residents would be invited to come along and discuss anything they wished to. A chance to meet their MP, Councillors and we hoped to bring along the right mix of Council Officers and Humberside Police representatives to give everyone a chance to address issues with people that could make things happen, a “can do” meeting is what all our residents deserve.
Reported by David Elvidge
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The previous Tory mp James Cran did nothing for this area. For decades labour councillors fought for funding for the ward but the Tory controlled council wouldn’t open the purse because they didn’t have anyone from their party elected in the ward. Now it’s a Tory controlled ward the mp and east riding conservative group are suddenly interested. What a surprise!
Truth Teller,always good to hear from people interested in moving forward
Some people try moving forward for years but the people running the council have held them back until politics change. It seems the people matter less than their votes.
Don’t under estimate the young people 🙂
Truth Teller, Humber Colts are moving forward on their own as one example of people getting things done for themsleves, try giving it a go, you can’t always blame other people
Do it yourself rather than work together as a community – very Thatcherite. The East Riding Conservatives literally ignored this community for years because they didn’t have a councillor elected there. Now they have councillors and money suddenly follows. Having tried for years to get funding and set up projects in this area, but the Tories who hold the County Hall purse strings keeping the purse shut, I have given it a go. The young people in that community are fantastic, but at the end of the day votes are what is at the forefront of politicians minds, whether they realise it or not.
Get the community working together, with Councillor support, and much can happen. I personally believe one of the main problems is that many of the council houses are now privately owned, so the community is broken up compared with how it was in years gone by – no one lives in fear of Miss Christie checking their houses and keeping them in check!!! This means people move in who do not have their roots in the area and the sense of community spirit is diluted… now that IS very Thatcherite!!
Now that St Nick’s Church hopes to take on the all-weather pitch will breath new life into it, working with ERYC youth workers to manage it.
My concern is things need to be more than football, as that will not engage with all people, but at least it’s a start.
Agreed about the footy though its a starting point and something that people can relate to locally as they have the known the people behind it all their lives. It also is a sshining example of what can be acheived with a little perseverance and hlep from the authorities 🙂
It’s a shame that now the flats are nearly built that the previous facility has not been replaced! The Humber Colts has done just about all it can for the community, donated trees to local schools, raised over £6000 for local charity’s, engaged family’s and young people suffering social issues, sports mans dinners ect ect…. Yet the teams pitch is a swamp throughout winter and the club has to pay £50 a week to train, it’s about time the work the club has done in the community is recognised with support and investment from the council….. An academy for all ages male and female would boost the community confidence and spirit and is sustainable
The trouble with community projects in this country, is the government and local authorities rely heavily on charity from the people and groups to provide leisure and sporting facilities, instead of allocating funds from the taxes which are collected.
The councils and the police could save literally millions if funds were put into youth projects which gets kids off the streets and channel their energies into activities which give them purpose, instead of hanging around street corners in gangs.