Community Rep interview
by Gaby Spinks

In March, ten community reps were elected onto the New Deal Partnership Board. We plan to interview all these reps in coming issues. First to be interviewed: Aisha Special K.

How do you feel about representing Burngreave?
I feel proud and honoured. Being seen to be proud of the area changes the perceptions of people from outside the area. They see there must be something to be proud and honoured about.

How are you settling into the role of Partnership Board Representative?
I have already started to have a positive and productive impact. Positiveness breeds positiveness and I’m not a person who believes in beating around the bush. I haven’t got where I am now, being a community leader, by being meek and mild, but by being assertive, confident and enthusiastic.

What would you like to see change/happen while you are on the board?
How long have you got? Firstly I would like to see those who are paid to do a job in Burngreave, doing the work properly and to higher standards. For example, the street cleaners, they are letting the area down. Better monitoring needs to be in place and senior management need to get out into the community to see things with their own eyes, to understand the complexity of the situation.

I’d like to see improvements to co-ordinated child and youth provision, higher educational attainment levels and a Burngreave school bus and driving scheme. I’d also like to see the Vestry Hall and Sorby House redeveloped into Multicultural Learning and Resource Centres.

We definitely need a supermarket, a bank and more support for small or new businesses. I want to see improvement of housing and support for elderly home owners to maintain their properties.
I want to see improved policing, the police need to be more accountable for the damage that they do to properties unsuccessfully raided, currently SCC pay for damage done. There also needs to be support for drug users and facilities.
I’d like there to be more social and fun events for the whole community to contribute to and a permanent Burngreave Community Radio Station.

Do you feel you have the power to make a difference?
Yes! I do feel that I have the power to make a difference and Inshallah (God Willing) I will. I also believe that everyone has the power to make a difference.

What would make being a community rep easier?
More Aisha Special Ks! Everyone needs to exercise their powers by getting involved positively in New Deal. We also need improvements in partnership working built on trust, there are a lot of people talking about partnership, but are not doing it.

Other Community Rep interviews:

Issue 33, August 2003: Adam Jones
Issue 34, September 2003: Natasha MacFarlane
Issue 35, October 2003: Tony Hall
Issue 36, November 2003: Dorrett Buckley-Greaves
Issue 37, December 2003: Kelvin Pine