Agenda item

8.1

Carl Mullooly, Head of Local Area Committees, provided a background on the origination of Local Area Committees (LACs), and explained that the meetings had been formally constituted in 2021. They were held four times per year, and their purpose was to engage, empower and enable local communities, and to bring local decision-making into communities. LACs had evolved based on feedback from participants, and agendas had become more flexible and themed, based on local needs and issues. Meetings had become more interactive, including holding workshops to discuss themes, and inviting Council services to attend to share information.

8.2

Carl Mullooly noted that following observations had been made by participants, communities and the LAC teams:-

• Challenges were faced when selecting venues, as the ‘geography’ of the north of Sheffield made it more difficult to engage wider groups of people;
• The formal element of the meeting was not always a welcome part of community meetings;
• LACs felt like they were mainly for ‘reporting back’ rather than actual decision-making;
• Variation in attendance levels had led to discussions about the best value for money;
• Webcast viewing figures were low; the timing of meetings was important so as not to be a barrier to attendance/viewing; and
• The ‘Future Sheffield’ programme had been set up to improve the ambition and service of Sheffield City Council over the next four years, and community engagement was a key part of this process.

8.3

Carl Mullooly invited views from those in attendance on what had worked well, what could be improved, and how best to approach the aim of ‘engage, empower and enable’.

8.4

Councillor Robert Reiss noted that the formal LAC meetings worked alongside the work of policy committees and LAC teams, and localised efforts to build connections and help communities.

8.5

Rachel Dawson, Neighbourhood Manager, explained that she found public LAC meetings to be a useful way of meeting members of the community that she might not get to see in other areas of her work, such as ‘walkabouts’.

8.6

Councillor Julie Grocutt added that it would useful to understand more from residents about their expectations of Local Area Committees and Ward Members.

8.7

Councillor Richard Williams reiterated that the large geographical area of the North LAC did not lend itself well to attendance at formal meetings.

8.8

A member of the public, who had a social enterprise shop on the main street in Stocksbridge, asked for an update on the Stocksbridge Towns Fund; specifically relating to options for new shop frontages.

8.9

Councillor Julie Grocutt noted her frustrations that the Stocksbridge Town Deal Board had not met since the general election in July 2024 and that few project updates had been shared. She advised that the next meeting was due to take place on 20 September, 2024, and hoped that community engagement would start again after this.

8.10

Ann Ashworth explained that she was in attendance at the meeting to support Item 7 of the meeting, and queried whether there was some way of the public ‘owning’ public LAC meetings.

8.11

Councillor Alan Hooper, Chair of the Committee, noted that different types of publicity were needed in order to reach as much of the community as possible.

8.12

Carl Mullooly confirmed that some people would attend for a specific item, for example the Food Matters presentation, and that all options for answering specific queries from the public should be considered.

8.13

Councillor Janet Ridler reiterated the importance of communication of LAC meetings, and particularly the topics/themes that would be included, in a way to encourage and make people feel welcome. She also noted the challenge of effective public engagement during a formal meeting.

8.14

Councillor Mike Levery added that LACs were a local opportunity to raise any issue of concern and seek action.

8.15

Councillor Ann Whitaker noted that the public LAC meetings were a small part of the work that LAC teams carried out, and she welcomed a change in format to encourage informal community engagement.

8.16

Martin Price, Food Matters Co-Ordinator, queried how the LAC engaged with young people.

8.17

Councillor Williams noted the difficulties in, and the importance of, engaging with young people, and believed there was a gap between empowered young people and those who were struggling to find a place in the community. He confirmed that there was currently scheme in Ecclesfield, where members of local youth clubs came along to discuss their hopes and aspirations. 

8.18

The Chair confirmed that some LAC funding had been allocated to support young people and youth work, and added that the Parish and Town Councils situated in the north of the city had also been able to support this.

8.19

Councillor Grocutt felt it would be of benefit for LACs to have a presence at community events, and speak to members of the public in their community settings.

8.20

The Chair thanked those who contributed to the discussion, and noted that comments would be fed into the consultation process.