Agenda, decisions and minutes

1.1

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Dawn Dale and Mark Jones.

2.1

No items were identified where resolutions may be moved to exclude the public and press.

3.1

There were no declarations of interest.

4.1

The minutes of the meetings of the Committee held on 23 September, 2021, were approved as a correct record.

4.11

Matters arising

With regard to Item 6.1 (public question 4) Councillor Dunn gave confirmation that the youth service review aimed to ensure that young people were involved in decision making.

5.1

The Committee received a presentation given by Jason Dietsch, Head of Democratic Services, which outlined the changes to the Council’s Committee System.

• A referendum was held in May 2021 and the outcome was to move to a committee system in May 2022. Local Area Committees were created in 2021, and more recently public inquiries had been held to gather evidence to help shape the new committee structure. A number of transitional committees were formed in 2021 to help design the new committee structure. The aim was to put the voice of residents at the heart of decision making.

• The existing Leader/Cabinet model would be replaced by a number of policy committees which would have cross-party membership and would be politically proportionate. The new structure would be reviewed and was expected to evolve over time. Local Area Committees would continue to develop and could refer issues to any of the new policy committees.

• A ’Public Engagement Toolkit’ would be available for each committee to use when considering its ‘menu of options’ for ensuring the voice of the public had been central to their policy development work.

6.1

The Terms of Reference for Local Area Committees (LACs) provide that each LAC must agree a Community Plan setting priorities for the area of the committee, monitor delivery of that plan and keep it under review, and that the decisions it makes in relation to funding must fit with the priorities set out in the Community Plan and following engagement with the community.

Through public consultation, the North East LAC has developed a draft Community Plan that seeks to identify the key issues within the area, and develop a series of priorities that will inform the direction of the LAC, and direct the spending of delegated budgets, where the LAC has authority to do so.

This Report recommends the approval of the draft North East Community Plan, attached as an Appendix to this report.

6.2

RESOLVED: That:-

(1)  Approval be given to the North East Community Plan as a statement of the priorities of the area;

(2)  Authority be given to the Community Services Manager to produce a final version of the Community Plan document, incorporating any amendments approved by the LAC at this meeting, and to publish it on the webpages of the North East Local Area Committee; and

(3)  Notes that future LAC decisions relating to funding must fit with the priorities set out in the Community Plan and following engagement with the community.

6.3

Reasons for Decision

The proposal to approve the North East LAC Community Plan is recommended on the basis that the Plan provides a clear framework in how the LAC will direct it’s resources to address key issues identified through community consultation.

6.4

Alternatives Considered and Rejected

None. A key element in establishing LACs is the principle that each LAC

will develop a Community Plan.

6.5

Any Interest Declared or Dispensation Granted

None

6.6

Reason for Exemption if Public/Press Excluded During Consideration

None

6.7

Respective Director Responsible for Implementation

Executive Director People Services

6.8

Relevant Scrutiny and Policy Development Committee If Decision Called In

Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee

6.1

The Committee received a presentation from Lindsey Hill, Community Services Manager. The North East Community Plan had been based on priorities raised by residents as part of the engagement and consultation process, and consisted of four main sections:

• What are Local Area Communities?
• About the North-East area
• What have we been doing?
• Our North East Community Plan

The North East Community Plan consisted of eight themes, each of which included four priorities and suggestions made by residents. This Plan was considered to be a ‘starting point’ which would be built on over time.

6.2

RESOLVED: that:-

(a)   Approval be given to the North East Community Plan as a statement of the priorities of the area;

(b)   Authority be given to the Community Services Manager to produce a final version of the Community Plan document, incorporating any amendments approved by the LAC at this meeting, and to publish it on the webpages of the North East Local Area Committee;

(c)    Notes that future LAC decisions relating to funding must fit with the priorities set out in the Community Plan and following engagement with the community; and

(d)   Thanks be given to the Community Services Manager and the North East Local Area Committee team for their hard work in preparing the Community Plan.

6.3

Reasons for Decision

The proposal to approve the North LAC Community Plan is recommended on the basis that the Plan provides a clear framework in how the LAC will direct it’s resources to address key issues identified through community consultation.

6.4

Alternatives Considered and Rejected

None. A key element in establishing LACs is the principle that each LAC will develop a Community Plan.

6.5

An interactive session took place where members of the public were able to meet, liaise and discuss issues with Councillors, partner organisations and the North East Local Area Committee Team.

7.1

The Committee received the following questions from members of the public who were in attendance to raise them:-

Public questioner 1

What mechanism is there for residents to respond to the Community Plan? Specifically, around the proposal to merge GP surgeries into one new health centre.

In response Councillor Abtisam Mohamed advised that a meeting had been held to consider options for local health services. The Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) had the responsibility for the decision and would be holding a public meeting where residents’ views would be heard.

Public questioner 2

(a)  Could GP’s be invited to a Local Area Committee meeting to give their views on the CCG proposals?

Councillor Abtisam Mohamed noted that initially it was important to hear views from the community. The CCG had offered reassurance that there would be open and honest conversations and that they would make an informed decision based on views received.

(b)  Is there a programme for sweeping roads and gullies? Some estates are not in a good state and if no advanced warning is given about cleaning some areas are missed due to parked cars.

The Chair responded by noting that there was a programme for cleaning, which would be shared via a link on the North East Local Area Committee webpages.

(c)  Can we have representatives from all housing areas at Local Area Committee meetings so that questions from each ward can be answered? Reporting of issues is difficult.

The Chair noted this suggestion.

Public questioner 3

Thank you to everyone involved in the organisation of this meeting. It is good to hear people talking animatedly about areas of interest. The Community Plan is ambitious, and it is encouraging to hear of joint working with the Clinical Commissioning Group. A useful meeting had been held to discuss parks - would it be possible to have more public meetings with a single item agenda?

In response, Lindsey Hill noted how the public meetings so far had aimed to provide residents with the opportunity to meet services and partners. Future meetings would evolve and give further opportunities to find out about projects and partners.

Councillor Jayne Dunn advised that Local Area Committees would continue to feed the views of communities into the youth strategy.

Public questioner 4

The questioner raised the following concerns:

(a)  In some areas residents were parking their cars inconsiderately and spoiling grass verges.

(b)  Autumn leaves had not been swept and had led to blocking grates and localised flooding.

(c)  Growth at the bottom of trees were preventing a clear view for motorists.

(d)  Could a single item public meeting be held to discuss parks and green spaces? Engagement with young people was needed to find out what facilities they needed in parks.

The Chair explained that he had contacted Streetsahead regarding leaf clearing and would continue to liaise with them to ensure the work was carried out.

In relation to grass verges, the Chair confirmed that existing bollards were being repaired and new ones  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.