Making better neighbourhoods

Thriving Neighbourhoods

The £10 million Thriving Neighbourhoods programme is helping local people transform shared spaces on estates across Islington by telling us what improvements they want to see and being actively involved in making a positive change to their community and neighbourhood.

Since the programme was launched in 2022, we have received a high number of suggestions from residents, staff and members across the borough.

Over 200 projects have been allocated funding so far. Current projects underway include

• improving playgrounds and community centres
• better storage
• improving recycling facilities and sports facilities
• upgrading security
• more greenery and improving landscaping.

There will be more opportunities for residents to suggest improvement projects throughout this programme.

See examples of exciting improvements we've made to communal areas and facilities across the borough.

Launch of our Good Neighbourhoods Management Policy 

This policy sets out our approach to setting expectations and managing relationships between neighbours on our estates, blocks, and street properties across the borough.

Aims and objectives

• The policy aims to ensure that tenants have quiet enjoyment of their homes and a safe, clean, and secure environment that they can take pride in.
• Residents are aware of and understand their responsibilities under their tenancy or lease conditions, both for their property and the neighbourhood.
• The policy highlights the effort needed from residents and Islington Council to achieve good neighbourhoods.

One key aspect of the policy is the importance of a level of tolerance and understanding within Islington's community, especially around the different lifestyles of everyone who lives here. Many behaviours, activities or problems that come from different lifestyles should not be classified as anti-social behaviour (ASB). Examples that are not anti-social behaviour include:

• children playing or young people gathering in groups outside
• ball games
• parking disputes
• one-off or occasional parties
• reasonable living noise such as lawn mowing, household DIY, vacuuming, toilet flushing, doors banging, noise from household appliances, or movement within top floor apartments.

The policy also addresses a range of other subjects such as:

• swapping homes (mutual exchanges)  
• vandalism and graffiti (and how residents can report it)
• litter and fly-tipping
• cleaning and communal inspections
• infestations of pests and vermin.

Read the full policy [add hyperlink]

Fair, inclusive and accessible services commitment

We are committed to challenging inequality. Our Fair, Inclusive and Accessible Service Commitment for Housing sets out how we're supporting residents to access our services, recognising there are times and circumstances when this is more difficult for you.

We aim to:

• have a really good standard service offer
• help meet the needs of residents most of the time
• recognise when we need to adapt our services because a resident has a particular vulnerability or need.

Adapting services could be a simple change, like needing an interpreter or someone to advocate on your behalf, or it might mean we need to get you help more quickly because you have ill child or are housebound. If you need our help or support, we will work with you to get what you need.

[Insert link to policy or commitment]

Anti-social behaviour and community safety 

The Community Safety Team are responsible for preventing antisocial behaviour issues taking root in “hotspot” locations.

• Between April 2023 – March 2024, the average weekly “hotspot” count was 7.65 per week compared to 10.25 in 2022/23.
• This trend has continued in 2024: between January and March, the weekly hotspot average is 4.6 demonstrating the success of this early intervention partnership response.

The Community Safety Team ran 335 community engagement events in total in 2023/24 including:

• 33 borough wide events
• 22 young people and parent events
• 23 hate crime events
• 14 business events.

These events gave residents an opportunity to speak with us, the police and housing staff about anti-social behaviour and crime issues affecting them.

In January we carried out an audit of our Safe Havens Scheme to measure the impact of the scheme.

• We visited 296 Safe Havens.
• 75% of those we visited were still happy to be part of the scheme - 72 of those premises had helped people in the last year.
• 57 Safe Havens reported positive experiences.

We aim to rise the number of Safe Havens to 300 this year and will ensure that every ward has at least 15 Safe Havens in total. 

Our Street Population Team have been working closely with Haringey Council and Hackney Council to support our vulnerable residents from rough sleeping under Stroud Green Road bridge. We held regular outreach shifts to support residents into accommodation, alongside drug services and our nurse that all provide health care.

We have accommodated 121 people through the rough sleeping pathways, and our No Recourse to Public Funds worker has successfully supported 14 people to gain settled status in Islington.