FAQs

• What is the Hull Community Network?
• What is the purpose of the Hull Community Network?
• What does the Hull Community Network actually do?
• How my group get involved?
• Isn't this duplicating the work of other organisations in the City?
• How can the Hull Community Network represent us when we already belong to a federation of community groups?
• Oh no is this another initiative that we've got to get used to?
• Why do we need an LSP?
• What exactly is an LSP?
• What will the LSP do?
• What kind of things will the LSP do?
• How does Hull's LSP work?
• Why should community groups and voluntary organisations get involved?
• What does this mean for local groups?
• What support can be given to help groups get involved?
• We're already overstretched with few volunteers and no paid staff?
• How are different interest groups and disadvantaged neighbourhoods or groups able to get involved?
• I'm interested but not sure if I have the skills, information or knowledge to get involved.

What is the Hull Community Network?

The government has recognized that the Voluntary and Community sectors need support and resources to be equal partners with the private and public sectors in the LSP so it has provided some funding for a short while called the Community Empowerment Fund. In Hull this money is being used to build up our own Community Network for and by the people of Hull. This means we can have an equal say in the Partnership about the decisions made about the Community Strategy and Neighbourhood Renewal.

The Hull Community Network is made up of about 1000 community groups and voluntary organisations including local and citywide federation and networks.

It brings together the various views from the community and voluntary sectors into the Local Strategic Partnership and from there feeds back into the various communities, community and voluntary organisations.

It is a real opportunity to take part in the future of the city and all its changes.

To support the community and voluntary sector in Hull to be equal partners in the LSP and to serve as a link between the LSP and the community and voluntary sectors

Have you any other questions that you would like answering? If so please contact any staff member or email/fax/telephone us. (See home page)

What does the Hull Community Network actually do?

• Gathers views from the community and voluntary sectors in Hull, organises them and channels them to the LSP. Sometimes this is through regular forums or local events supported by Network staff and members
• Conducts elections for representatives to the various parts of the LSP such as the Sub-Boards and the board
• Supports elected representatives by providing secretarial and policy support, debriefings before meetings, summarizing documents etc.
• Provides out- of -pocket expenses incurred by people in Community Network activities such as transport, childcare costs and translation and interpretation
• We go out to hard to reach groups and communities and support them to get involved in the Community Network ensuring that they have the same opportunities to access the LSP as others
• Encourage the sectors to discuss the problems and issues they face and to develop and articulate their views
• Provide information, training and briefings to the community to strengthen their ability to get involved in the LSP and the future of Hull
• Facilitate two way communication between the voluntary and community sectors and the LSP and between the various groups and networks

How can my group get involved?

• Provide us with your groups' contacts
• Take part in activities such as the Community Network Forum meetings
• Stand for elections onto the LSP
• Nominate someone to stand for elections
• Vote for reps, even if you do not nominate anyone
• Make your views known to us and hold the Community Network to account
• Read the notes of meetings and our newsletters and send us your comments- by email, letter, fax or telephone
• Organise a meeting or event with your members or other groups to develop your views and solutions and get resources/support to hold it
• Remember, you don't have to attend meetings to be involved

Isn't this duplicating the work of other organisations in the City?

No. Until the Hull Community Network there was no city wide umbrella or structure which provided a channel for so many different community groups and voluntary organisations and their communities to influence and feed in their views about their city’s future. It is unique to the Community and Voluntary sector and brings together all the differing opinions and viewpoints from local communities to young people, black and minority ethnic groups, people with disabilities the unemployed carers young and older people and so on.

The Hull Community Network cannot represent you personally, but it can pass on your views and make sure that you get a response. The Network is accountable to the Community and Voluntary sectors.

The Government has created the Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) to bring together all the various partnerships and initiatives under one roof or umbrella to make sure that there is joint working, planning, prioritizing and co-ordination in delivering local services and projects. So the LSP is actually simplifying all the existing initiatives and projects.

Why do we need an LSP?

Regeneration monies ploughed into various areas in Hull and throughout the country, have not had the impact that was intended. Many of these areas and neighbourhoods are still behind. The Government does not want anyone to be at a disadvantage because of where they live. It wants to achieve better and more long lasting improvements. The LSP will make sure that money and services are concentrated in the areas where things need to change. (Neighbourhood Renewal). Up to now there has been a lack of joint working locally meaning that regeneration and local services have not met the needs of local communities. Working together with the community will ensure that there are more opportunities for areas and communities to improve.

It is the new, stronger and more co-ordinated way of planning and delivering services city-wide and locally to make sure that there is joint working between different agencies and sectors (statutory, voluntary, community, business) ensuring that communities have a bigger say in the running and delivery of local services such as housing, policing, safety, health, schools, jobs etc. It’s key objective is to narrow the gap between disadvantaged areas and others. The LSP in Hull is called Cityvision.

Enables all the partners to plan together, prioritise make decisions and act on all sorts of issues such as housing health etc which will ensure that resources and services are improved, meet the needs of local people and ensure that any regeneration initiatives are good for the long term.

• Develop a Community Strategy which aims to improve the economic, social and environmental well being of Hull
• Bring together all local partnerships and initiatives simplifying where possible, linking them together and if possible reduce their number. A forum for all agencies to meet local community needs
• Develop a local Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy to tackle deprivation and narrow the gap between disadvantaged neighbourhoods and the others including obtaining more jobs, improving education, health, housing reducing crime etc.
• Develop public service agreements with local authorities to develop targets designed to improve skills, physical environment etc.
• "Through consultation, LSPs will decide how best to use local resources whether local facilities are adequate, and how to improve them how to respond to the concerns of the local community and ensure that a first point of contact for community concerns is in place in each deprived neighbourhood"

From Fact sheet 8 :'The Role of Local Strategic Partnerships in Neighbourhood Renewal' Neighbourhood Renewal Unit, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister - July 2002 . Can be obtained form the Neighbourhood Renewal Unit
Tel: 020 7944 8383
Email: neighbourhoodrenewal@odpm.gsi.gov.uk
website: www.neighbourhood.gov.uk

For detailed information contact Hull LSP

• There is a Board which co-ordinates and manages the LSP’s work consisting of 15 members from the public (6) private (3) voluntary (3) and community (3) sectors. It is chaired by the leader of the Council. The Hull Community Network hold democratic elections annually for the community and voluntary sector places on the Board and sub boards and has asked been asked to help with similar elections in some of the Area Partnerships which will feed into the LSP and the sub boards.
  
• There are eight Sub Boards based on themes: housing environment transport image health learning economy environment safety.
  
• The Stakeholders Forum represents over 100 organisations and sets the vision and ‘strategic’ direction for the LSP
  
• The wider community is involved through the Hull Business Forum or the Hull Community Network

You know your area or community of interest better than the people who provide services, so it makes sense that your members’ views on how the area could be improved can be fed into the Network and LSP so that you can influence the ongoing improvement of services and any regeneration projects over time. Your groups also have a vital link with residents and local people with special interests or needs such as people with disabilities who may not be a part of your group but may have opinions which are important when considering and planning future services for the area.

What does this mean for local groups?

You may be asked by the local City Council Area Committees to get involved in one of the seven Area Partnerships which are also feeding views into the LSP and they may want to map out what groups do in each of the areas. You may wonder how you can get involved in both the Area Partnership and the Community Network!

It is going to take time to get everything working so it may be beneficial for you to join with other groups in your area to talk about what’s important to you. You may even want to get together with groups from other areas to share ideas and issues that you wish to put forward. The Community Network can help you in this by providing staff support funding expenses debugging jargon training etc!

The Community Network is in its early stages and the LSP is at the beginning of what will be long-term change in how services are planned and delivered. So don’t miss out! Get involved now! Contact one of the Network staff to find out the different ways that you can be involved. It doesn’t have to mean extra work for you or your group.

What support can be given to help groups get involved?

There are various ways of getting support:

• Advice and Support:

• Larger voluntary organisations and community groups including federation and local networks may be able to give support to smaller groups. (See below for a few contacts)
• Funding advice is available from various organisations such as Hull CVS (see tel. no. below). There is a Neighbourhood Renewal Fund Community Chest and Learning Fund which awards up to £5,000 to develop community activities or help get involved in regeneration or LSP activities get training etc. Advice and support on developing your group and new activities including constitutions increasing membership etc can be obtained from several organisations including Hull CVS. Contact the Network office for your most local contact
• The Government’s Active Community Unit hold events for community groups and voluntary organisations to share good practice and an information and advice service. The Hull Community Network have a Positive Action Officer, Outreach worker and Development Officer who can be contacted to discuss and act upon the kinds of support needed to get involved.
• You can also contact a national organisation who may be able to help, advise and support you. See some of the details below

• Useful contacts for advice, support and funding:

• Larger umbrella organisations and groups in Hull who may be able to help include:Tel: Hull CVS- 324474 Hull DOC – 854550 Hull Federation of Community Organisations – 563045 Humberside Association of Neighbourhood Watch Groups- 444466 North Bank Forum- 472 458 Hessle Road Network- 606077 or contact the Hull Community Network who can provide you with further contacts 611891)
• Neighbourhood Renewal Community Chest and Learning Fund- Contact Nigel Mills at CityVenture on Tel: 320021
• Urban Forum Tel: 020 7248 3111 info@urbanforum.org.uk Community Development Foundation Tel: 0207 226 5375 admin@cdf.org.uk Black Training and Enterprise Group Tel: 020 7520 2434 bteg7@bteg.connectfree.co.uk Tenants Participation and Advice Service (TPAS) Tel: 0161 745 7903 info@tpas.org.uk See also the Links page on this web site.
• Home Office –Active Community Unit- tel: 020 721 78400 www.homeoffice.gov.uk/acu
• Hull Community Network- Tel 611891 info@hullcommunitynetwork.org.uk

Contact one of the Network staff who can help you look at what support you would like and where to get it. Alternatively contact one of the organisations listed below. If you want to get involved then there are always ways to overcome difficulties with some support and/or funding etc. It could be that you need more volunteers or committee members, or you don’t have the time to discuss local concerns and go to meetings. There are ways of building up your group to do this (group development or capacity building and networking with others) and still carry out brilliant group activities!

The Hull Community Network currently have a Positive Action Officer and an Outreach Officer who can come and meet you to talk about ways in which you can get involved and what support, advice, funding, training etc. you might need. Other organisations can help in different ways (see previous questions). Several Black and Ethnic Community groups and individuals have formed the Hull All Nations Alliance (HANA) which meets every two months to share information and ideas and link into the Community Network and LSP. Other Networks and groups are reaching out to smaller groups to help them get involved e.g larger sports organisations. We want to help you remove the barriers to getting involved whatever they are. Get in touch!

The government has recognized that everyone from cabinet ministers to local workers and residents may need to learn and share new skills and knowledge. They are bringing out easy access training in the near future to build on existing know- how so that whoever you are and wherever you are there will be suitable training to help you understand and learn about the new way of working in the future. (This is the Skills and Knowledge Strategy- ‘The Learning Curve’)

The Hull Community Network will be starting a flexible course called How the City Works from February. This will give you the opportunity to share and learn with others in the same boat about where and how decisions are made in the city and how to influence them. No writing involved? Interested? Contact the Network office.

For more detailed information about LSPs Community Strategy Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy etc. click onto www.neighbourhood.gov.uk OR contact the Hull Community Network. Details are on the Home Page.