Agenda item

Report of the Democratic Services Officer.

2016/17 PROGRAMME OF PORTFOLIO HOLDER ATTENDANCE

The committee welcomed Councillor Gregory, Portfolio Holder for Community to discuss a range of issues relating to his portfolio accompanied by Lance Juby, Service Manager Community Relations.

Councillor Gregory circulated outcomes for Quarter 4 for his Portfolio and provided information on topics previously identified by members as follows:

Performance Indicators

Councillor Gregory explained the lack of performance indicators was because actions in the portfolio cannot be worked out numerically.

Gedling Youth Council – How are they included in the Council’s decision making process?

The Gedling Youth Council is independent of the authority and is made up of young people elected by their peers. The authority just facilitate the meetings, the young people decide their own agenda and work programme.

The Youth Council has recently undertaken the Children’s Commissioner Takeover Challenge and led a Senior Leadership Team meeting, delivering a presentation and discussing the key priorities set by the Youth Council.  These include  young people’s mental health, loneliness and isolation, emerging racial and cultural intolerance, peer pressure , stress caused by social media , issues of body image, new perceptions of gender,  the generation gap caused by new technology and a subsequent need to develop a curriculum for life to address these issues.

The Gedling Conversation will be supported by the Youth Council members and will involve their contributions from their own school or youth group.

Members agreed that the young people should be invited to be included in any scrutiny reviews which are relevant, and commented that Youth Council members had been very helpful on the Bonington Theatre and Transport reviews.

Building Positive Relationships with Parish Councils

The authority facilitates a network for parish clerks which offers a forum for discussion, information sharing and support.  The next meeting is scheduled later this month will discuss the Playing Pitch Strategy.

Minutes from Parish Councils are available on the website.

Senior leadership team members and service managers will be going out into the community during this year’s Gedling Conversation.  Ward members will be invited to join in the visits.  This will not include attending Parish Council meetings, but will include visiting community hubs, where people meet to find out what it is like to live in the area.  Dates for this have not been finalised.

The locality coordinator in Newstead has developed a positive relationship with the Parish Council.

Progress of Asset Transfer

The Council has adopted a community asset transfer policy; any interested party has to develop a robust business plan and prior to disposal the Council assesses the condition of the building to ensure that it is fit to transfer.

The transfer will enable the community to manage their own centre.

Centres currently moving towards being transferred include

·         Arnold Hill by the Eagles Nest Church.  All existing bookings will be honoured and it will continue to function as a community centre.

·         Pond Hills by the Arnold Arts Society.  Issues relating to resources and manpower to enable the transfer are being addressed, and it is moving slowly ahead.  When completed there are plans to open up the Calverton Road entrance

·         The Brick Yard – Gedling Sport Partnership are considering taking this forward, it is in the very early stages

·         Haywood Road Community Centre – transfer progressing very slowly.

Locality Plans and Priority Neighbourhoods.

Members wanted to express their thanks for the work undertaken by the locality coordinators in Killisick and Newstead.

Priority neighbourhoods are chosen because of deprivation indices, there are no plans for any more. Killisick has particular problem with a mobile population, issues that are addressed are constantly renewed by new residents.

The temporary one in Daybrook was funded by the CCG and was not in place long enough to have any significant impact.

Armed Forces Community Covenant

The Council signed the Covenant in 2013, this sets out the relationship between the armed forces community and the Council. There was a programme of events in 2014 to support the signing and actions which offer support for service personnel are fed into Service Plans, for example homelessness, revenues and benefits advice.

Funding streams are available to support work to support ex service personnel.  Recently the County Council funded first aid training for mental health issues affecting armed forces staff.  The Council also promotes campaigns managed by other organisations who support for ex-service men, for example those provided by the Royal British Legion and SAFFA.  A representative attends regular network meetings, Councillor Collis is the Council’s Policy Advisor for armed forces relationships. 

FUTURE PORTFOLIO HOLDER ATTENDANCE

Members were advised that the Leader Councillor John Clarke, and Deputy Leader Councillor Michael Payne, Portfolio Holder Resources and Reputation, would be attending the next committee to enable members to have the opportunity to examine their areas of responsibility.

Members questioned why the Leader and Deputy attend together and agreed that they would like to invite them separately.  There was also a discussion about requesting written answers for examination at the committee.

Members were reminded of the need to submit areas to be examined prior to the meeting.

Councillors R Ellis and Greensmith joined the meeting at 6.00pm.

RESOLVED TO:

·         thank Councillor Gregory for his attendance

·         invite members of the Youth Council to sit on relevant scrutiny working groups

·         invite Councillor Collis to attend the committee in his role as policy advisor for armed forces relationships; and

·         request Councillor Clarke and Councillor Payne to attend separate meetings.