New Mill Consultants (in partnership with Poplar HARCA)
New Mill
Newmill House
76 St Leonards Street
Bow
London
E3 3LR
Tel: 020 7538 5429
Website: www.newmillconsultants.co.uk
The residents that make up New Mill Consultants have been instrumental in the transformation of Poplar in the East End of London as resident leaders working with Poplar HARCA (Housing and Regeneration Community Association). Poplar HARCA is a registered social landlord and registered charity, created through a large-scale voluntary transfer from the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It owns and manages over 5,600 homes in Poplar, covering eight estates. They have spent over £200 million in refurbishing homes to bring them up to the decent homes standard since they were established in 1999. Its mission is not just to provide quality affordable housing but also to work with local people to create an environment where they want to live and to work with them to define and achieve their own financial and social aims.
New Mill Consultants have worked closely with Poplar HARCA's Resident Empowerment Team working to support and develop residents so they can manage their estates and the regeneration of the area. As a result of this many resident-led trusts and local regeneration groups have been established, including those pioneered by New Mill residents. This has resulted in successful initiatives such as community greens and social enterprises. In addition to this, some of the New Mill consultants have been amongst the seven local residents who sit on the main HARCA Board one of whom is the Chair of the Organisation.
New Mill Consultants operate in Poplar, an area of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The local area experiences extreme pockets of deprivation, with high crime rates, poor housing standards, few green spaces and low qualification levels.
Poplar contains extensive ethnic diversity with the Asian/Asian British and Black/Black British population making up 38% and 10% of residents respectively. The second notable characteristic of the area is the high youth population. Census statistics show that in Tower Hamlets 25.6% of the population are under the age of 16, this is higher than anywhere else in Britain.
New Mill Consultants ‘Offer valuable guidance based on experience gained through resident leadership to encourage residents to run their own communities.’
Specialist topic areas include:
- Residents taking the lead
- Activities and open spaces
- Crime and drugs
- Education
- Inter-ethnic and inter-cultural tensions
- Health and fitness
- Employment
- Housing
- Relationships with partner organisations
- Establishing and running successful community organisations
- Rights and privileges
- Social enterprise
- Bench-marking and measuring performance
New Mill Consultants have already worked with a range of groups from those on our doorstep in East London and other London Boroughs to places as far and wide as Lincolnshire, the West Midlands and Lancashire. We look forward to working with you!
Contact
Christine Searle MBE
Tel: 020 7538 5429
E-mail: Christine.Searle@poplarharca.co.uk
Website: www.newmillconsultants.co.uk