My UIP - Glenwood UIP

What is the Glenwood UIP?What does the UIP do?How does the UIP operate?

What is the Glenwood UIP?

A legislated and representative body, the Glenwood UIP was officially legislated in July 2019, with on the ground services beginning on 1st September 2019. Tasked with managing public space within the boundaries of Alan Paton Road, King Dinzulu Road, Manning Road and Umbilo Road, the UIP aims to:

Retain existing investment and build investor confidence
Create an environment which supports vibrant and responsible business activity
Improve safety, the general environment and quality of life for the benefit of all
Respond to the challenge of environmental sustainability

The UIP is recognised by the eThekwini Municipality as an official service provider to public areas in Glenwood and as such, motivates, lobbies and works with them to collectively manage public space.

To achieve this, the UIP acts through the direction of the UIP board, and according to an annual service agreement with the municipality that specifies what services it will provide and what needs to be provided by council. The UIP status of “official service provider” to the area allows for significant leverage in optimising municipal service delivery in Glenwood and collectively focuses on delivering an exceptional experience of public space in this key node.

Urban decay is a reality of most cities throughout the world, and the creation of public space management structures is one way to ensure that this phenomenon does not negatively affect an area, but instead shifts the focus to growth and urban renewal. The nature of a UIP structure is to partner with local municipalities to improve the quality of an area’s public space and has a proven track record of combating urban decay.

The UIP management team is constantly responding to the ever-evolving needs of Glenwood, whether it be service levels or special projects. This said, the fundamentals of managing crime and grime will always be the top priority and remain the foundation of the UIPs’ success.

What does the Glenwood UIP do?

The UIP has 3 core functions, all aimed at ensuring the quality of public spaces in Glenwood. Working with the eThekwini Municipality and contracted service providers, the UIP is mandated to provide:

Supplementary services such as security; cleaning; greening and maintenance; as well as other special adhoc projects.
Communications to members and the local community at large
Municipal partnerships; optimising service delivery and lobbying for investment in infrastructure

The Glenwood UIP employs 28 “Ambassadors” who provide constant and daily monitoring on the ground. Their role is sidewalk monitoring, cleaning and maintenance.

The Ambassadors report for roll-call each morning and are dispatched to their section of Glenwood. The monitors are identifiable with bright orange bibs and will soon be in their Glenwood UIP Uniforms.

SAFE & SECURE

The UIP has a proactive approach to security, with the focus of identifying possible criminal intent before it occurs and taking corrective action.

The Ambassadors are extra eyes and ears on the road, alerting the UIP and/or the authorities to any criminal activity or bylaw infringement, and adding another layer to the crime prevention initiatives undertaken by the UIP.

The UIP security provider is Ensure Security Services. Reporting crime or suspect behaviour is essential.

Report a fault here or call 0861 888 443

CLEANING & MAINTAINING

The 28 UIP Ambassadors provide ongoing, daily cleaning and maintenance to the area. These services do not replace those of the municipality, but rather supplement what is being done, with the objective of setting the service standards of public areas at levels expected of Glenwood property and business owners.

Besides day to day cleaning of public areas including streets, pavements and parks, and greening routines, which include grass cutting, watering and planter bed maintenance, the UIP is consistently working at improving the quality of public areas.

Maintenance and cleaning projects focus on:

General maintenance requirements to public area infrastructure
Identifying and executing greening and beautification projects
Removing graffiti signage
Ensuring maintenance of pubic area signage

COMMUNICATION

A solid communication platform is key to the success and effectiveness of the UIP. Through our various communication platforms, the main aim is to make the reporting of a fault or incident as quick and effective as possible.

Faults can be reported through the website or the fault line 0861 888 443. This is picked up immediately by the Precinct Manager and the communications team. If there is an incident that needs to be communicated externally, this is then sent as a Newsfeed on the Home Page of the UIP website.

In time, these communication platforms will increase to include FaceBook and Instagram for larger reach.

MUNINIPAL PARTNERSHIPS : OPTIMISING SERVICE DELIVERY

Optimising municipal service levels and lobbying for investment in infrastructure is a core focus of the management team. For this reason, the UIP conducts an audit of infrastructure faults: lights out, damaged signage, blocked sewers, potholes, etc. on a daily basis.

The faults are reported through the municipal fault reporting call centre and, if relevant, a photo of the fault is emailed to the responsible person at the municipality. If it is an urgent matter, it is also followed up telephonically.

Faults are logged on a UIP management system and followed up on a regular basis until repaired. For this reason a large proportion of the UIP management time is allocated to optimising municipal service delivery.

The UIP, on behalf of members and associated members, actively participates in the Municipal Planning Forum to ensure that property owners’ interests are brought to the fore at the planning phase of public area infrastructure. Importantly, the UIP experience gained from servicing public areas is fed back into design phase of upgrades with the aim of ensuring functionality and aesthetic design which is cost effective to service and maintain.

How Does The UIP Operate

The UIP (SRA) mechanism is based on the Municipal Property Rates Act of 2004 (“the Act”), which makes provision for the establishment of what is technically termed a Special Rating Area (“SRA”).

A UIP/SRA is a defined geographic area within which the majority of property owners agree to pay for certain services supplementary to those supplied by the municipality. In addition, there is the Municipal Rates Policy (“the Policy”), which provides for the municipal implementation of SRAs.

The Policy requires the establishment of a Non-Profit Company (“NPC”) comprising a board of non-remunerated directors. The board is constituted by property owners or appointed representatives to represent property owners within the SRA. Furthermore, the Policy requires the UIP Board approve an annual business plan and budget specifically for the service requirements to the defined UIP area. The business plan and budget is approved annually by the municipality together with a finance agreement.

The UIP budget is funded by property owners in the UIP area and is calculated on a pro-rata basis against assessed property values. This payment is levied on the municipal rates bill and collected by the municipality, free of charge, on behalf of the NPC, who represents members interests. Once the formation of the UIP is approved by the municipality, all property owners within its boundaries are required by law to contribute to the UIP.

The Glenwood UIP was officially legislated in July 2019. The UIP is recognised by the municipality as the official service provider to public areas in Glenwood and it has an annual service agreement with the eThekwini Municipality (eTM) specifying what services are to be provided. The UIP status of an official service provider to the area allows for significant leverage in optimising municipal service delivery in Glenwood.

The Glenwood UIP NPC’s Memorandum Of Incorporation (“MoI”) provides for specific responsibilities of the Board of Directors. This gives the property owners control of their contributions, ensuring transparency and accountability.

In addition, the NPC’s MoI requires the NPC be ‘with members’ and as such, there are two categories of members set out within the MoI:

UIP Non-Voting membership:
- Residential property owners within the SRA, who have consented to become non-voting members
- Sponsor member, being those who contribute financially to the work of the NPC and who have been invited to become members; and
UIP Voting Membership: Commercial property owners within the SRA who have applied to become voting members, have been approved by the Board and whose names have been entered into the Voting Members Register.

Contracting Structure

The UIP NPC directly contracts a precinct manager and assistant precinct manager to provide operational management of the UIP and service providers to deliver supplementary services such as security, landscaping, cleaning etc. The UIP board ensures performance oversight of service delivery and provides financial governance.

What is the Glenwood UIP?

What does the Glenwood UIP do?

How Does The UIP Operate

Glenwood UIP

Fault Reporting

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