The languages most frequently listed as the second most commonly spoken in any given borough are:

• Polish (7 boroughs) – Barnet, Bromley, Ealing, Lewisham, Merton, Richmond and Wandsworth
• Turkish (4 boroughs) – Enfield, Hackney, Haringey and Islington
• Bengali (3 boroughs) – Camden, Newham and Tower Hamlets
• French (3 boroughs) – City of London, Hammersmith & Fulham and Kensington & Chelsea
• Punjabi (3 boroughs) – Bexley, Hillingdon and Hounslow
• Tamil (3 boroughs) – Croydon, Kingston and Sutton
• Gujarati (2 boroughs) – Brent and Harrow
• Lithuanian (2 boroughs) – Barking and Havering
• Urdu (2 boroughs) – Redbridge and Waltham Forest
• Arabic (1 borough) – Westminster
• Nepalese (1 borough) – Greenwich
• Portuguese (1 borough) – Lambeth
• Spanish (1 borough) – Southwark.

For further information, please see the original post at http://randomlylondon.com/map-other-english-borough/.

Photo credit: Universal Thank You Note by Woodleywonderworks.

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The LGiU have been working with Lambeth to evaluate their new approach to improving the local neighbourhood.

Instead of asking residents  “do you support this proposal”, Lambeth wanted to ask residents “what would you like to see in this area?” The approach places local citizens in the driving seat and shows how Lambeth Council is seeking to put co-operative principles into practice.

The publication explores both the challenges and opportunities of this approach by considering three local projects: the Neighbourhood Enhancement Programme, Van Gogh Walk and the Loughborough Junction Plan.

The local projects vary according to geography, timescale and budget but each initiative shares the aspiration of reconfiguring the relationship between the council and local residents.

The evaluation draws together some broad, practical tips for councils similarly interested in placing a community engagement programme at the centre of council delivery.

Download the full report.

Read the blog.

Photo Credit: Lambeth Walk Doorstep Green by Ewan Munro

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If you work in one of the London Boroughs you can access GLA Information Services . This service provides access to a large database of up to date reports, articles and journals, along with a quick an easy way to search these online for information you may need.

If you would like any more information on these services please contact: Alexia Pipe at alexia.pipe@london.gov.uk

Photo credit: City Hall, London by Maciek Lulko

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Winner – Lambeth Council – Neighbourhood Enhancement Programme

Summary

Lambeth Council has successfully delivered a community-led street improvement programme across six wards over a 12 month period, based on firm evidence of popular support.

Improvements have included the creation of new community spaces and play areas, green routes through estates, educational projects and planting of over 300 trees, as well as a range of road safety measures.

Working closely with other departments and agencies has helped us to quickly deliver improvements to services and facilities for which we are not responsible.

We engaged the community in three phases, using a wide range of approaches, successfully encouraging community groups to lead the engagement in some areas.

Around 8% of residents participated.  We received many compliments, for example:

“I feel you are working towards the world I want to live in.  Thank you for your hard work”.

“I just wanted to say how impressed I am with the letter I received asking for my opinion on which improvements I would prefer in my own area.  The information was very succinct but comprehensive… all very professional.  Most importantly, it feels good to live somewhere where the opinion of the locals is asked for and stands for something”.

Results

The community-based Stockwell Partnership carried out 528 minority language face-to-face interviews for us in restaurants, hairdressers, mosques, playgrounds, after-school clubs and other venues with Portuguese, Spanish, Polish, Arabic, Somali, Tigrinian and Amharic speakers, amounting to almost half of the total responses we received from residents of the area.

Reference

• There are feedback reports on each of the six NEP areas (and a seventh on ‘out of scope’ suggestions), on the NEP page of the Lambeth Council website
  

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To download presentations please click on the links below.

Talk London: GLA Community engagement

Lambeth and ESRO: Ethnographic Research

The London Datastore: GLA

Intelligence Unit: GLA

Photo credit: London City Hall by Dimitry B

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At this free evening seminar, researchers from TNS BMRB and the International Longevity Centre describe research which explores:

• The impact of an older population in rural areas on service demand and delivery
• Where and how the design and delivery of key services need to be tailored to meet present and future needs
• Underlying principles of good practice in designing and delivering key services to an older population.

The research methods used include a literature review, secondary data analysis, and qualitative research with a range of service users and designers/deliverers. This research was conducted to inform Defra’s development of policy and local strategies for the protection and improvement of services and to better understand the needs of older people.

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From their article:

“The councils in the UK facing the most worrying levels of “digital deprivation” include Sandwell, Knowsley and Kingston Upon Hull; all of which cater to significant percentages of service users who may never have owned a smart phone, sent email, or used the internet.

Districts in inner-London look set the weather the transformation successfully, with consumers in Kensington and Chelsea being most likely to research local government services on the web.

Top 5 local authority districts with communities most likely to research local government services online*

– Kensington and Chelsea, 27.5%
– Westminster, 24.4%
– Camden, 23.8%
– Hammersmith and Fulham, 23.6%
– Islington, 22.7%

Top 5 local authority districts with communities least likely to research local government services online*

– Sandwell, 14.9%
– Knowsley, 15%
– Kingston upon Hull, 15.1%
– Leicester, 15.20%
– Stevenage, 15.2%

*UK average = 17%”

Moving forward with digital is really beginning to take off – see what the Government is planning to do in their digital inclusion strategy

Photo credit: Digital Britain by Mark Hillary

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Perceptions of North London

Respondents from south London are most likely to see the northern parts of the capital as “rough” (23%), while residents of east and west London are most likely to consider the area to be cosmopolitan (22% and 25% respectively). Those living in central London are most likely to view the northern areas of the city as “trendy” (19%), while respondents from north London itself are most likely to associate the area with being “family-friendly” (34%).

Perceptions of South London

When asked to describe south London, the most common adjective used by residents living in the northern, western, eastern and central parts of the city was “rough” (cited by 44%, 34%, 31% and 26% of respondents respectively). However, in central London, the same proportion of respondents also felt that south London is “up-and-coming” (26%). Among residents in south London itself, the most commonly cited adjective was “suburban” (40%).

Perceptions of East London

The dominant perceptions of east London are consistent among Londoners from all parts of the city: all groups were most likely to view the area as “rough”. Among those living in east London itself, the most commonly cited adjective was “poor” (37%): however, this is just one percentage point higher than the proportion who associated east London with being rough (36%).

Perceptions of West London

Respondents living in east, central, north and south London are most likely to believe that west London is “posh” (43%, 37%, 36% and 28% respectively). However, residents in west London itself are most likely to view the area as “cosmopolitan” (34%).

Read the full details of the survey

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• A rewarding place: According to the survey, London is a good place learn a new skill (77% agree), make money (74% agree), take up a hobby (74%) and to find a job (70%). The downsides: fewer people think London is a good place to improve your quality of life (47% agree), bring up children (37%) or to grow old (30%).
• A city for the young: Two in five (40%) believe the best age to be living in London is when you are in your twenties; 19% think being in your thirties is the best time to enjoy all the capital has to offer.
• Was it always so? Asked if life for young people in London today is better or worse than it was for young people living in London 20 years ago, opinion was divided. Not so for older people: 46% think life in London is worse today for older people than it was two decades ago.
• Impending problems… Three quarters (76%) think that the number of people in London is growing too fast, and 72% believe London is badly placed to manage the changes in its population over the next few decades.
• What’s to be done? By far the most popular issue for the Mayor to focus on is housing: 53% saying it should be the Mayor’s top priority. One in five (20%) believe the mayor should focus attention on public transport and 8% think sorting out the roads is the number one priority.

Read the report to see the full results.

Photo credit: London by Fsse Info

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Oliver and colleagues from  Stevenage Borough Council are interested in producing a piece of research investigating whether people in this deprived area are more prone to mental health issues as a direct result of debt and debt repayment techniques.

This technically sits in the East region, but the character of Bedwell may be more similar to certain area of London. Are any LARIA members doing any work of this subject or are you aware of any research on this more generally?

Let us know if you can help!

Oliver can be contacted by email at Hertfordshire County Council

Photo Credit: Guy Evans at Birmingham Culture

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