New
Deal for Old Heywood
(Plain
English version!)
Q. What is it?
A. Part of Heywood has been chosen as the area to bid for support through the 'New Deal for Communities' initiative. It's a central government approach to enable local people to identify problems in their area and propose ways in which they can be tackled.
Q. How much money?
A. As much as £20-£50 million pounds over 10 years.
Q. What area?
A. For the purposes of the bid, an area of 4000 homes had to be nominated to meet the criteria set by the Government. This has been done by nominating an area surrounding the town centre. However it is the clear intention of ALL involved with the bid that the beneficiaries of the bid will be ALL the people of Heywood.
Click
here for map of area 
Q How does it work?
A. The bid takes three phases:
Phase 1 - Preparation of an outline bid indicating the problems in the area and ways in which these can be tackled. This has now been completed. If the government accept this outline (we will know by early June) then we move to phase two.
Phase 2 - This is the period of approximately nine months in which a detailed bid is prepared.
Phase 3 - Implementation of the proposals over the next ten years.
Q. What has gone into the initial bid?
After many consultation meetings held over the last few months, Heywood people have come up with the following vision for Heywood
Education
We
want education to start with our very young children. Education must be accessible
to all the community in all its forms. By this we mean adopting a ‘cradle to
the grave’ approach to learning. We need to involve our schools in community
issues
Employment
We
want to improve the types of jobs and the low wage levels in our area. We want
to use some of our derelict sites to encourage the growth of community enterprise
and the development of local high tech employment sites.
Crime
and
We
want to tackle crime and the ‘fear’ of crime so that people feel safe in our
area. We want to integrate the police force back into the community. In phase
2 we want to explore different ways of reducing crime.
Young
People
We
want to invest in our children and young people by improving the facilities
available to them, particularly the under 10’s- they are the future of ‘Old
Heywood’. We also want to invest in our teenagers; we have started to develop
a young person’s forum to seek their views on facilities available to them.
Environment
We
want our derelict sites to be used as opportunities for renewal. We want local
people to have and take responsibility to make things happen. We need to be
hi control if we are to achieve thorough community involvement
Leisure
We
want sport and leisure facilities that are accessible and affordable to local
people especially young people. We know that a number of groups and individuals
do not use the local facilities. We want to encourage greater use on a basis
that people can afford. We also have on our doorstep beautiful countryside including
Ashworth Valley and Knowl Hill. We want to make better use of this natural resource
by encouraging orienteering, canoeing and nature trails and other outdoor pursuits.
Health
We
want a comprehensive local service for primary health care. The different providers
in health care must listen to what we have to say. We have a number of different
health issues to address. In particular high teenage pregnancies, drug and alcohol
related problems. Health promotion and preventative work is essential to healthy
lifestyles
Heritage
and Our Future
We
are proud of our heritage including our countryside and buildings. We are enthusiastic
about present developments including the East Lancashire Railway. We want to
improve the image and encourage visitors to our area. We also want to improve
self-esteem of local residents.
Housing
We want the condition of our properties improving, both public and private. We want a decent place to live.
Services
We want more of a say in how services are delivered in the area. Service delivery must be based on community wishes. During phase 2 we will explore how we can have a greater say in the development and delivery of services.
Q. So what happens now?
A. We will hear from the government in early June. If the first phase of the bid is accepted we then move on to phase 2 which is a detailed bid to fund specific projects in the area.
Q.
How can I get involved?
A. New deal requires a high level of involvement from people in the area so if you want things to improve get involved in phase 2.
Q. So how can I have my say?
A. Either Contact:
New Deal for Old Heywood
C/o Heywood Police Station, Hind Hill Street, Heywood
Telephone: 01706 691203
Or
Let us know here at Heywood on line !