(Image L-R:) Dr. Cheryl Lowes, GP at Jubilee Medical Centre; Chris Brees, Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities; Jill Roberts, Croxteth Neighbourhood Manager at Cobalt Housing; Kathy Allen, Divisional Manager Localities, Coordination and Engagement at Liverpool City Council on a visit to Jubliee Medical Centre, Croxteth.
As seen on Housing Digital
COBALT HOUSING WILL BE UK’S ONLY HOUSING ASSOCIATION DELIVERY PARTNER FOR ‘PARTNERSHIPS FOR PEOPLE AND PLACE’ FUNDED INITIATIVE, PART OF THE LEVELLING UP FUND
Cobalt’s “excellent record of community regeneration” and “extensive progress in bringing together key partners for the OUR CROXTETH project” were key factors identified, as the community anchor organisation is chosen to co-lead initiative by Liverpool City Council, with local Croxteth neighbourhood selected to receive up to £350K funding.
Cobalt Housing has been selected by Liverpool City Council to help deliver a £350K Partnerships for People and Place initiative in Croxteth, as part of the government’s Levelling Up agenda.
In 2021, 13 local authorities across the UK were selected to deliver the Partnerships for People and Place (PfPP) initiative backed by £5 million of government funding, including Liverpool City Council.
Bringing together health, housing, policing, local authorities and community organisations, the initiative aims to take a community-led approach to tackling a broad range of issues including increasing apprenticeship opportunities, tackling crime, health disparities, youth unemployment and poverty.
Each local authority will receive up to £350,000 over a two-year period from the HM Treasury’s Shared Outcomes Fund, to fund their location-specific initiative tailored to meet the needs of different resident groups.
As the only Housing Association to have been selected to co-lead a PfPP initiative, Cobalt Housing’s leadership of the project could set the blueprint for similar projects across the region, demonstrating the pivotal role community-focused housing could and should have on local residents.
Alan Rogers, Chief Executive at Cobalt Housing, said: “We are delighted to have been asked by Liverpool City Council to help deliver the initiative in Croxteth, and it is testament to the great work we’ve been doing alongside community partners over the past few years, particularly during the pandemic, which saw us take a really hands-on role to supporting groups and organisations in the community to deliver their services.”
A truly local focus following Cobalt’s demerger in 2017 has also supported the development of a local partnership network for Croxteth, working with local GP surgeries, Mersey Care NHS, Merseyside Police and Liverpool City Council to bring a holistic approach to improving lives in the area.
These local partners are currently working together to develop the “Our Croxteth” project, giving £50K to local community projects through participatory budgeting, funded by partners (including some money from Merseyside Police’s proceeds of crime), and supporting residents in the community to take the lead on making sustainable changes to tackle key issues, and opportunities for growth, as identified by people in Croxteth.
Nick Grubb, Head of Neighbourhoods at Cobalt Housing, said: “Cobalt has developed key partnerships with other organisations and the local community, leading to better joint working and a true joint approach to local issues and opportunities. This is a unique opportunity to build on this and to really drive further improvements. We are delighted to be at the heart of this initiative that will co-produce a strong local approach to service delivery and community empowerment in Croxteth. We believe that this can create a platform to improve the life chances for residents and families and for a healthier and sustainable community”.
Kathy Allen, Divisional Manager Localities, Coordination and Engagement at Liverpool City Council, said: “We’ve chosen the Croxteth area as a focus for this programme and Cobalt has an excellent record of community regeneration and has made extensive progress in bringing together key partners including health and police as part of the OUR CROXTETH project. We think this new partnership-based approach, with Cobalt as a community anchor organisation, will be key to ensuring successful, sustainable progress is made through the Partnership for People and Place funding. We anticipate the programme will create important lessons about smarter working in neighbourhoods and will influence how we operate as partners across Liverpool.
A kickstarter PfPP stakeholder event will introduce the initiative to community partners on 10th February 2022.
