The Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Community Services is invited to present her priorities and areas of focus over the coming months and to answer questions from the committee on progress towards achieving the priorities within her portfolio which appear in the Council’s Corporate Plan.
Minutes:
The Chairman welcomed Mrs E Lintill, Cabinet Member for Community Services, to the meeting.
Mrs Lintill gave an oral report on her priorities and areas of focus over the remainder of the year and on progress being achieved against the projects which are part of the council’s Corporate Plan. She focused on the following areas and the teams supporting this work:
· Chichester in Partnership - new Community Strategy and projects including Choose Work
· Community Safety Partnership and priorities including antisocial behaviour and crime, child sexual exploitation, modern slavery, road traffic accidents, community tensions and domestic abuse
· Think Family – keyworker, neighbourhoods, community wardens
· Careline
· Health and Wellbeing - wellbeing weight loss, pre-diabetes programme and other programmes, Corporate Plan objective on workplace health
· Foreshores
· Safeguarding - delivering level 2 training
· Grants and Concessions Panel - managing applications and spend
· Cultural Grants – managing and review
· Consultations – such as the Chichester Vision
· Youth Engagement through schools delivering the Ideas into Action days and Five ways to Wellbeing
· Supports OSC TFGs on Educational performance and Community Safety
· Maintain relationships with parishes through the Community Facilities Audit/ New Homes Bonus (Parishes) Scheme/ S106 aspirations and spends
· Supports Parish Forums
· Advises on Strategic Sports provision needs, administer S106 sport funds, manage sports pitch bookings/ events in parks and liaise sports clubs/providers
Members had the following questions and comments, which were answered during the meeting:
· Choose Work project – The financial advice provided is about budgeting and managing money. Budget management guidance is also provided through the financial exclusion project. People are signposted to agencies such as the Citizens Advice Bureau if this is considered more appropriate. The deeper needs of people working towards employment are reviewed such as self-esteem problems, mental wellbeing and the effects of this on their personal lives. Working with them does have a real benefit and payback
· Referrals to Choose Work come from the Department of Work & Pension (DWP) up until 31 March 2017. After that there was a bidding process for the work. We also receive referrals from other agencies e.g. mental health treatment. We also go out and hold work fairs and advertise in village fairs etc.
· DWP had announced £70,000 for the Choose Work project however the final terms of the offer are awaited and these will involve changed outcomes.
· DWP allowances – There are two different allowances; job seekers allowance (JSA) and Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). As job seeker figures had reduced the focus had now changed to ESA; this is for those people who are further away from employment and have bigger issues. We have tools which measure their development and although they may not get work we can measure progress. This will enable us to offer more of the same services in rural areas; taster days and into more intense mentoring processes. We will also work with schools and colleges to prepare students for work. Further work will be done in outlying areas as capacity allows.
· Child sexual exploitation - Effort has been aimed at certain services that were likely to come across this type of exploitation such as Hotels, Licenced establishment, public transport and taxi drivers etc. WSCC has responsibility for children and social services. Partners co-operate through the Adults & Childrens’ Safeguarding Boards and there had been discussion about how to raise general awareness with the public.
· Foreshores services - Mr Connor advised that he is involved with the foreshores service in Selsey – on behalf of the Cabinet Member who was based in the north of the district.
· Tangmere primary school children were working on an initiative to improve their community e.g. an application for grant monies for frog litter bins on the playing field. They were also working with the elderly community in the village;
· Contact with parish councils – The Communities Team is in touch with parish councils to support them in managing the community facilities audit and in relation to New Homes Bonus grants and S106 monies for projects. The team is advised of any changes in personnel at the parish councils. The Clerk is usually the driver of parish projects so this dialogue ensures continuity.
· Community Wardens – Employment contracts for Community Wardens are renewed every year due to the funding arrangements. The council funds the full salary of the Warden Team Leader, 50% of the Wardens salaries and the hosting costs. The other 50% was funded by contributions from city, town and parish councils and housing associations. All partners agree to a three year commitment but only agree actual funding one year at a time. The health and wellbeing team staff have similar contract arrangement due to WSCC funding.
Mrs Lintill undertook to circulate a copy of the briefing to members following the meeting.
RESOLVED
That the report from the Cabinet Member for Community Services be noted.