A new Social KPI developed by NEF Consulting is set to assist local government in the community-led regeneration of Milton Keynes.
In a collaboration first announced 2016, research carried out by NEF Consulting and Milton Keynes Council has highlighted the desire of residents for a regeneration that achieves a number of targets:
- Increase residents’ pride in their estate.
- Help residents build positive social relationships in their estate.
- Give residents the opportunity to influence the regeneration process.
- Help residents feel optimistic about their future in the estate.
The research will allow the Council to continue working with communities to develop practical ways to achieve the community’s goals across Milton Keynes. Speaking about the social indicator, David Gleeson said “This new social indicator will add to our existing physical and economic indicators to help ensure we deliver the best possible outcome for our residents”.
YourMK was a joint partnership between Milton Keynes Council and Mears Group plc. The partnership was created to deliver repairs and maintenance to all owned properties and lead on a regeneration programme for Milton Keynes ahead of the 2004 expansion plan’s projected doubling of the city’s population by 2026.
Social KPI: Driving community-led regeneration
The Social KPI, with a subset of performance indicators developed for YourMK, and the data collection tools developed as part of this research will enable YourMK to establish a baseline for each of the estates involved in the regeneration programme.
YourMK could have the following influence on the individual and collective wellbeing of residents:
- Improving housing quality and environment.
- Land use and designing out crime: the consideration of the use of space and perceptions of safety can aid with developing healthy and resilient neighbourhoods with positive wellbeing.
- Maintain good levels of feeling of community for those who feel well connected, increase connections for those who do not.
- Maintain engagement throughout the process to ensure wellbeing outcomes are sustained.
NEF Consulting’s research has yielded recommendations for mid- and end-term reviews using the same measures to allow for tracking change over the life of the regeneration.
Further development of the Social KPI methodology will allow community-focused projects to build local solutions in a vaiety of situations.
Further Information
If you want to find out more about using a Social KPI in regeneration programmes, please do not hesitate to contact us.
