Portfolio spotlight: Communities and Streetpride
Published: 26 December 2023
Councillor Hardyal Dhindsa and Youth Mayor, Muhammad Muntasir, take a look at the VR headsets
Councillor Hardyal Dhindsa, Cabinet Member for Communities and Streetpride looks back on the year and ahead to 2024.
It’s been a big seven months for Labour since coming into administration, especially for me and such an important, and vast portfolio area in Communities and Streetpride. Already in that time we've made great progress on so many of our pledges, and that will continue into next year and beyond. We have done this with an eye to setting a responsible budget in these challenging times for Local Government.
2023 has been significant, as we’ve focused on the things our city cares about, like reducing fly tipping, increasing recycling and making it easier and improving the city centre.
A few weeks ago, myself and other Cabinet Members approved some big changes to Raynesway HWRC and Bulky Waste collections for the city. We also increased the fines for littering and fly tipping as these are areas that we really won't tolerate and have a big effect on our neighbourhoods and communities.
We're working hard to improve recycling within Derby. Back in September, I launched a large campaign to help residents recycle more of the right things, more often and to check before they throw items away. And we're well on our way to cutting the cost of waste contamination, which helps us to provide better services elsewhere.
Making our city safer
We've also been making the city safer, working with our key partners across Derby. We’re using Virtual Reality headsets to show our younger citizens what can happen if you make a decision to carry a knife, or join a gang. The latest technology immerses them in a world where every action has a consequence, helping to build their resilience in a safe environment.
These headsets are one of the legacies of Home Office funding, which we received as part of round four of Safer Streets funding. Another is a beautiful new mural on Normanton Road, painted by local artist Todd Jerm and inspired by young people in the local community.
We’ve also worked in partnership with Derbyshire Wildlife Trust and The Pakistan Community Centre on this and brightened up the area with plants and flowers too. While further funding is needed for some of the initiatives to continue, many people have learnt new skills that will have a lasting benefit for themselves and their communities.
October saw the launch of the City Centre Summit, a new group bringing together partners from across Derby to look at how to make the city centre feel safer and more welcoming, and we’ll take this work forward in 2024.
Celebrating our green spaces
And, let's not forget about our wonderful parks and open spaces. Yet again, many have won multiple green flag awards, a testament to the fantastic work of the Parks and Grounds teams.
From planting trees and constructing bridges to clearing ponds and organising community events, volunteering support has been invaluable. The dedication of parks' friends groups and volunteers has been vital. Without their support, the parks and open spaces for the people of Derby wouldn't be great spaces they are today.
The construction of the Derby Football Hub at the Racecourse is progressing as scheduled for completion in spring 2024. A significant milestone, the 'topping out' stage (the completion of the roof) was recently accomplished. Partners involved gathered to witness the current progress and acknowledge the substantial community benefits this facility will deliver.