News

HAWKINGE NEIGHBOURHOOD MANAGEMENT PARTNERSHIP

A bit of History

Shepway District Council, o­n behalf of Hawkinge, set up the Partnership in February 2004 following a successful bid to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. The funding, which amounts to quite a substantial sum, £2.25m over the next 7 years, is via the Neighbourhood Management Pathfinder Programme.

A number of Pathfinder Programmes are successfully running throughout the country and Hawkinge is unique in Kent in being awarded this money.

Why have we been singled out for this funding and what will it do for Hawkinge?

We are all aware that the explosion of developments in our community has been a mixed blessing for us all. For those of us who are new to Hawkinge it has enabled us to live in a part of Kent, which has outstanding views, good road access to London and the Continent and the promise of an improved rail service to London!

For those who lived here before us incomers arrived, the expansion has brought promises -improvements to the A260, improvements to the village centre,improved health facilities for the village, improved schooling, improved shopping and employment opportunities. So far they have o­nly been promises!

In terms of population, Hawkinge could almost be described as urban, yet we have very few facilities and infrastructure to support a population of that size. I feel confident, however, that the Hawkinge Neighbourhood Management Project will enable these promises to be delivered.

The money that has been allocated to us will not be sufficient to pay for all these promised improvements. However, by working in partnership with agencies and providers we will be able to plan for the future of the village.

Who's o­n the Board

The Board members are drawn from the Parish Council, District Council, County Council, the two schools, the police, various agencies and service providers -social services, the employment service, housing corporations, the countryside agency, and, most important of all the residents of Hawkinge.

I feel very strongly that we, the residents, should be in control of the future of our community -indeed it is for this reason that I joined the board and became its Chair. We live here and together we should take responsibility for our community and ensure that we have all the facilities we need which will improve the quality of our lives.

The Hawkinge Management Board will work very closely with the Parish Council to ensure that we build a strong community identity here in Hawkinge so that in the not so distant future those in Folkestone and surrounding districts look with envy at "the folk who live o­n the hill".

Deirdre Ferguson has been appointed as our Neighbourhood Manager and she is tasked with producing a Delivery Plan that will ensure that the key objectives identified by the Board do actually happen.

What are the key objectives, and how did they come about?

Well they have come from the people of Hawkinge. At the recent Fun Day people were asked to state their 3 wishes for Hawkinge and these, together with the findings of the recent MORI Poll that was undertaken in the village, have been collated.

The objectives focus o­n

....... improving access to services and facilities
....... improving facilities and services for young people and children within Hawkinge
....... ensuring community cohesion -getting the various groups within the village to work to a common goal
....... improving the environment of Hawkinge
....... crime and disorder -ensuring that Hawkinge is a safe and pleasant place in which to live.

The first delivery plan must be lodged with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister by the end of October. But that is not the last time it will be looked at. Throughout the coming year the Board will be mapping the progress of the plan and it will be evaluated and at the end of the year it will be revised. The Delivery Plan, therefore, is a dynamic document, which will reflect the changing needs of the Hawkinge Community.

What have we done so far?

Some organisations within Hawkinge have already benefited from the Community Chest Grants for groups and organisations based in Hawkinge. We have put £10,000 into this chest and will give grants up to £750 until such time as the chest has been emptied. The money is not available to companies who distribute a profit, or to statutory bodies, other than the Parish Council the schools, or the health bodies.

We have had successful applications from a number of groups -The Football Club, the Cricket Club, Hawkinge Short Mat Bowls Group, the Parish Council. The pot is not empty -so I would urge Group Leaders to access this fund. For further details please contact Deirdre Ferguson.

Deirdre is temporarily based at Shepway District Council.

I mentioned the Fun Day earlier, and I know that although many people enjoyed the day, others have said we didn't know anything about it -we would have liked to have been involved.

This was the first Fun Day. In the future Deirdre will work with the many organisations and groups within Hawkinge to ensure that the next Fun Day is bigger and better!

Where will we be based?

Finally -watch the space next to Tesco! We plan to site our Neighbourhood Office o­n that vacant plot and it will become a o­ne-stop shop for residents of Hawkinge to access some of the services we are currently missing.

Jan Doyle

Chair- Hawkinge Partnership