Community Action Scheme

Who takes part in the scheme

The Community Action Scheme is led by our Community Action Team (CAT), which includes members of our Community Protection Service, planning, Neighbourhood wardens and housing teams, who work alongside police and community support officers and fire and rescue teams. As well as delivering some level of enforcement, we have a key role in promoting health and healthier lifestyles.

While our members stay involved throughout the programme, other partners may join in the delivery of certain programmes in line with identified problems or issues.

Why this work is happening

We work across the county and provide resources to target particular areas and problems. We use enforcement powers to encourage owners, occupiers and landlords to take responsibility for their neighbourhood and their properties.

How it works

We normally deliver an 11 week rolling programme, moving around the county and focusing on a certain community each time. This breaks down into:

• two weeks of identifying issues and planning priorities
• seven weeks of action
• two weeks of review

When moved on to another area, any new issues are then dealt with by the existing services in the area. This unique project model, working alongside the community to improve local conditions, means that the impact of the Community Action Scheme continues beyond the project period, with residents experiencing longer-term benefits.

What happens

We will ask residents, businesses and members of the local community for input in areas and problems they would like us to tackle.

Information from those involved with the community informs the main priorities chosen by residents during a residents' engagement event at the start of the CAT programme. We then focus on these during our weeks of action.

Our current project

We are currently in Coundon until 9 April. We will work across streets with over 1,000 properties in the Coundon and Leeholme areas. Residents have told us they want to see us concentrate on the following areas:

• Rubbish that has been dumped in gardens, on streets and on waste ground being removed
• Identifying and taking action against Dog Fouling in yards and the wider community
• Anti-Social Behaviour
• Smoke nuisance 

There were also votes for improving housing standards and the management of rented properties and making improvements to abandoned buildings and land so the team will also focus on these issues.

Our next project

We will move to Chilton on 24 April for 11 weeks.

Previous projects

We've just completed work in Wheatley Hill where we have dealt with 12 problematic empty properties. We have looked at more than 200 issues reported to us including pest control, fly tipping and blocked drains and sewers.

Find information on Community Action Scheme - previous projects. In each area, priorities for improvement were identified and we worked with local residents in resolving these issues.