Minutes:
Jane Kilby, Employability and Campaigns Manager at the University of Lincoln Students’ Union, and Emma Blackburn, member of the University of Lincoln Students’ Union, were invited to address the Committee as part of evidence gathering for the Scrutiny Review into Integrated Communities. The following points were noted as part of their presentations:
· the Students’ Union was a charity and separate from the University of Lincoln;
· students had historically lived in the Carholme Road area which had led to difficulties and a change in dynamics of the people living there. A lot of work had been done to change the perception of students and make them better integrate into the existing community, particularly in the West End, with noise and anti-social behaviour being examples of the main problems reported;
· in recent years the University of Lincoln, supported by the Students’ Union, had been educating students, helping them consider the fact that moving into a community came with additional responsibilities. This was sometimes not properly considered by individuals who, having moved out of student accommodation and into a house of multiple occupation in the West End, had not appreciated that families with young children or elderly people were in very close proximity;
· other initiatives had been developed, such as the ‘Move Out May’ campaign, aimed at those students leaving their accommodation at the end of term and promoting a responsible approach to moving out. This was in response to lots of complaints having been received regarding parties and disguarded waste, furniture or other items dumped in front gardens of properties. The scheme would be rolled out again this May;
· a lot of work in partnership with the Council’s Anti-Social Behaviour Team and Police had been undertaken to work on the issue of noise complaints, which had significantly reduced as a result;
· the Students’ Union were regular attendees at meetings of the Carholme Community Forum;
· students also lived in the Monks Road and Sincil Bank areas of the city, however, there were in lesser number in those areas and not as many issues had been reported, perhaps due to the transient nature of other people living in those areas;
· the Students’ Union was now sitting on the Sincil Bank Community Board;
· the Students’ Union was keen for students to feel like they were part of the communities where they lived by breaking down barriers and leading on schemes such as community volunteering and ‘Make a Difference Week’. This was a whole week made up of various one-off volunteering activities designed to support the community;
· the Students’ Union campaign network looked after the main diversity groups and held various awareness events and activities throughout the year. Even though these activities or events were organised by students, they broadly impacted people in communities who had participated in a number of them throughout the year. This was an excellent example, therefore, of community integration.
The Chair invited members of the Committee to ask any questions or make comments.
Comment
There were a number of initiatives in Park Ward that students may wish to become involved with, together with the Residents’ Association in Sincil Bank and the Community Board which they may find of interest.
Response
Students were already involved in some schemes in the Sincil Bank area but the further opportunities, particularly the Residents’ Association and Community Board, were noted.
Comment
Lots of students remained in the city after their studies, so integration into the community was an important issue. Residents in these areas also had a responsibility to integrate with their student neighbours and perhaps make them feel welcome as part of the community.
Response
The Students’ Union was aware of historic issues, particularly in the West End, which was why there was such a big drive to educate students about the communities they were moving into. A ‘Meet the Street’ initiative had been attempted in the past, but smaller pop-up events or activities sometimes had more of a successful impact.
Comment
The support provided by the University of Lincoln and Students’ Union in respect of the West End and wider Carholme Ward was very impressive. Activities such as MacMillan coffee mornings were relatively simple to hold and had big impacts in terms of bringing people together for a worthwhile cause, so large community events were not always the answer. Students should also know that elected members were available to them as members of the community as well, should they have any issues that they needed addressing.
Comment
It was not always students who created problems when moving out of properties at the end of term, but landlords too. Sometimes landlords were responsible for dumping waste and unwanted items at the fronts of properties and the perception would be that it was the students who were to blame. It was important that landlords were reminded of their responsibilities to the community, which the City Council would be able to assist with.
The information collated as part of this item was noted.