ROTHER LOCAL STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP (LSP) Minutes of Executive Board meeting held on Wednesday, 25th January 2006 at Bexhill Town Hall

Transcription

1 ROTHER LOCAL STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP (LSP) Minutes of Executive Board meeting held on Wednesday, 25th January 2006 at Bexhill Town Hall Chairman: Cllr Graham Gubby, Leader of Present: Rother Voluntary Action Rother Voluntary Action (Rye) Ten Sixty Six Enterprise Ltd Rother Homes Ltd Bexhill & Rother PCT Action in Rural Sussex (AirS Safer Rother Partnership Rother Environmental Group South East England Development Agency In attendance: Rother Community Links Safer Rother Partnership Action in Rural Sussex Secretariat: Represented by: Martin Fisher (LSP Vice Chair) Gina Sanderson Graham Marley Liz Bresnihan Mary Jones Patricia Marston Cllr Eric Armstrong Martin Ryan Christopher Strangeways Sue Musgrave Clive Mills Carol Studley Jeremy Leggett Cllr Mrs Eveline Armstrong Scott Lavocah (LSP Co-ordinator) Marie Kennedy Item Notes Action 1. Welcome & Introductions The Chairman welcomed Patricia Marston and Jeremy Leggett representing Action in Rural Sussex. Councillor Mrs Eveline Armstrong of was also welcomed as an observer to the meeting. 2. Apologies for absence Teresa Goulding (Children s Services Planning Group), Toni Wilkinson (Bexhill & Rother PCT), Teresa Gittins (AiRS), Christine Upton (East Sussex Learning Partnership), Cllr Keith Glazier (East Sussex County Council), and Joseph Ammoun (Hastings, Rother & Bexhill Youth Council). 1

2 NOTE: Notice was given that Ieuan Sherwood of Action in Rural Sussex had recently left the organisation. 3. Declaration of interests Received from Councillor Graham Gubby as a Member for both Rother District Council and East Sussex County Council. 4. Minutes and actions of last meeting 22nd November 2005 Agreed as a correct record in terms of accuracy. Action points pending from this meeting were covered as follows: Item 3 page 2 Declaration of Interests It was confirmed that Martin Ryan had forwarded an outstanding signed declaration of interest to the Co-ordinator. Item 4.9 page 3 Local Area Agreements (LAAs) Notice was given that a half-day event was being organised to respond to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister s Consultation document on LSPs and that this would include an update on the East Sussex LAA (see item 9 on page 7). 4.3 Item 7.4 page 5 Job Creation It was reported that significant efforts were being made to reduce the amount of overlapping in discussions taking place between the Job Creation Action Group and the Hastings & Bexhill Economic Alliance Group. A report would be made available to the Board once this had been resolved. 5. Matters arising None. 6. Progress on Rother Local Action Plans Support Programme Joint report from Patricia Marston & Jeremy Leggett Concern was expressed regarding the future status of the work being undertaken by the Development Workers. If a full-scale political commitment was not forthcoming from both Rother DC and the County Council then this valuable work could cease. Financial support is being sought to help develop a website which can be linked to the websites of both Rother DC and AirS. This website will feature access to contacts and resources, as well as serving as a publicity tool. The LSP Board was asked to encourage members of the Action Groups to attend future Consortium meetings of the Rother Local Action Plans Support Programme. Dates for the coming year have been set as follows:- 8 th March 2006, 10 th May 2006 and 7 th July 2006 from pm to 2.00 pm. Further information can be obtained from Patricia Marston on Tel: or patricia.marston@ruralsussex.org.uk GM NOTE: The Chairman gave assurance that the Rother LSP is keen to help the communities in putting together their action plans and guaranteed a commitment on behalf of Rother DC to support the current programme till Progress on LSP Action Plan Targets Children & Young People Scott Lavocah The following report was read out by the Co-ordinator in the absence of 2

3 Teresa Goulding:- The Children s Services Planning Group (CSPG) had met on the 13 th January At that meeting it was confirmed that a draft of the East Sussex Children and Young People s Consultation Plan document would shortly be made available in order to meet with the publication date of 1st April This plan will influence a rethinking of the Rother Children and Young People s Plan in terms of a sharper focus on key areas for joint improvement. The group is adopting new Terms of Reference (ToR) in line with three other area CSPGs in East Sussex. The main components of the ToR are as follows: i) Purpose Partnership working to: a) Review information and research; b) Identify priorities; c) Commissioning, monitoring and evaluating; d) Support local partnerships for children s services; e) Action planning; f) Communicating and challenging; g) User involvement and consultation. ii) Membership Broad representation with core agencies including; health, social care, education and early years, voluntary sector, housing, leisure and community planning. iii) Meetings To be held every 6 weeks. iv) Sub groups 3 Ages: 0-5s; 5-11s; 11-19s. 7.2 Community Safety Councillor Eric Armstrong A summary report on the initiatives funded and supported by the Safer Rother Partnership since April 2005 was circulated at the meeting. This included an update on the key Action Plan targets as follows:- A target reduction in the British Crime Survey Comparator of crimes of 15% over three years (2007/ 08) was achieved at 8.1% in December An agreed target to work in partnership to decrease public place violent crime, which is part of the Safer Rother Partnership work to reduce BCS comparator crime between April 2005 and December 05, has been achieved at an 8.25%. Quality of Life Indicators 5 and 7 it was reported that burglary has dropped by 41%; wounding by 2%; robbery by 25%; violent crime by 23% in the last 90 days; and vehicle theft by 16%. NOTE: A full copy of the above summary report can be obtained from Carol Studley, Community Safety Co-ordinator on Tel: or carol.studley@sussex.pnn.police.uk 7.3 Culture & Leisure Martin Ryan The Your Culture & Leisure Strategy and Action Plan is scheduled to go before Rother DC Cabinet Members in February this year. 3

4 A bid for 50,000 from INTERREG and ACE South East funding to undertake a feasibility study for a creative enterprise centre at Robertsbridge has been achieved. A tendering process will begin shortly. Target to increase activities for children and young people is making good progress with an Art Café event being held every Wednesday at Battle, Rye and Robertsbridge as part of a 3-year programme. Plans are also going ahead with an Indian Summer pilot project with the help of an ACE South East grant which has been achieved in partnership between the Health Service, Age Concern, Rother DC and the De La Warr Pavilion. The Pebsham Countryside Park Local Authority scheme is now being discussed with wider partners to consider the best management options to take it through to the next stage of development. 7.4 Health Mary Jones A target to reduce smoking, especially in disadvantaged groups and pregnant women had been successfully achieved. National guidance is awaited on recording information regarding tackling obesity in children under 11yrs. GP s are currently collecting data on Body Mass Index (BMI). A new website is being promoted for services provided by the Hastings & Rother Health Promotion Resources Centre. Work is being developed via the Be Healthy Sub Group to implement a universal Child Health Promotion campaign for children 0-5 yrs. All Rother schools are currently participating in the Lunch Box Training programme piloted at All Saints School in Bexhill. A target to run Walking Buses in a number of Rother schools has been achieved. A plan to promote, run and evaluate 5 Total Lifestyle Club programmes in the Bexhill and Rother area has started in Camber and Pebsham with a follow-up session to run in Rye. A model is also planned for Battle and a school model for Netherfield. Weekly Green Gym programmes are currently running in Bexhill, Battle and Rye. Resources are now in place for plans to progress a programme for improved sexual health in Rother. A scheme to promote health and active living amongst older people has been linked to the community care service, resulting in 100% occupancy with access to out-of-hours social care. A dementia service is presently being piloted in Bexhill. PCT reconfiguration The Surrey & Sussex Strategic Health Authority (SHA) had recently consulted with stakeholders and other colleagues on the future shape of PCTs. Feedback had indicated a strong support for maintaining the existing arrangement of two separate PCTs one for Hastings and Rother and the other covering the current PCT areas of Eastbourne Downs and Sussex Downs and Weald. 4

5 Housing Liz Breshihan Identifying potential exception spots for development in rural areas in order to achieve 30 units by 2009 is proving difficult. This is due to the reluctance of landowners to sell sites and convincing planning officials of the growing need for housing in rural areas. A target to enable the development of 40 affordable homes in Bexhill at the old school site in Turkey Road can be achieved if the link road goes ahead. Housing services and other Registered Social Landlords (e.g. Rother and Hastings) are now meeting together rather than separately with a view to establishing more joined-up working and information sharing. Progress is being made to establish a pilot housing lease and loan scheme for elderly and vulnerable residents. The Community Luncheon schemes in rural parishes will continue again this year. Further information can be obtained from Clive Mills on Tel: or clive.ppi@fsmail.net Job Creation Graham Marley The majority of targets set within the community plan are only measured annually, therefore the following report is for the most up-to-date figures available: Average Earnings target to match UK average earnings by 2009 baseline was 79.1%, latest figure 81.1%, close to the target for this year. The main activity required was to seek to ensure the development of commercial and industrial workspace in the area, and members of the group have been working together to support the development of sites at Marley Lane and Robertsbridge, with further developments at Rye Harbour, Sidley Goods Yard, and North Bexhill which will be dependent on the development of the Link Road. Unemployment to maintain Rother unemployment to within 0.1% of regional average figure had slipped in November to within 0.2%. The Job Creation Plus reported a downturn in the number of both number and quality of vacancies, further emphasising the need for an increase in suitable workspace. Job Creation Plus are trying to develop a number of partnership arrangements that will help them support their client base in the area including, Learning Link, Learn Direct, Sure Start and Reduce the proportion of people claiming benefit the key activity being the development of Social Enterprises. A successful bid has been put to the Hastings and Bexhill Aif for a pilot project to support the development of Social Enterprises. Work also continues through the East Sussex Social enterprise Network, which has representatives from both 1066, and RVA. In addition, group members have also been involved in discussions relating to a Community Banking Partnership, for Hastings and Rother. This group is looking to bring together debt advice, credit unions and provide access to finance to people who are currently financially excluded. This would benefit the job creation group as debt and access to finance is seen as a barrier to both employment and enterprise. Increase Number of VAT registered businesses Start up rates 5

6 nationally are over 20% down on last year, which is mirrored in the experience in Rother. Over and above its usual work, 1066 has secured a small amount of funding to develop some workshops to specifically help women into business, which will run in February. In terms of existing businesses there has been a significant delay in rolling out an East Sussex AIF funded business support programme (caused by contractual delays between ESEP and Sussex Enterprise), however these are now resolved and the project will roll out through rural Rother in January. The project provides both short and long-term business advice to any business in Rother, outside Bexhill, and should continue for a further 2 years subject to an application for further funding through the East Sussex AIF. Additionally, members of the group have also been involved in the bid for Local Enterprise Growth Initiative funding with Hastings. The bid includes a range of innovative interventions, which would help to underpin the achievement of a number of the job creation targets in the Community Plan. A decision should be known in February Education No update was received from this Action Group. Transport Gina Sanderson Outstanding actions have been undertaken whilst new actions are awaited. These will include progressing with the Rye area access to services for local needs such as health, education, employment and responses from education youth groups. Waste & Recycling Progress with targets to establish a Social Enterprise to operate a Materials Reclamation Facility in the District is being restricted by the ongoing debate for waste to be disposed at Newhaven. The Action Group continues to advocate that local waste disposal should be carried out locally and not as far away as Newhaven. NOTE: The Chairman kindly requested that for the future, a written update on the progress of LSP Action Plan targets be forwarded to the Co-ordinator in advance of meetings in the event of a representative not being present on the day. 8. Neighbourhood Policing Pathfinder Hastings & Rother The following report was received from Inspector Neil Honnor of Sussex Police and read out by the Chairman: Sussex Police are currently preparing invitations from District Commanders for a conference to be held on 17th March to launch the Neighbourhood Pathfinder model. This will involve organising designated Police officers who will go out into the neighbourhood areas, in conjunction with policing support officers and the work currently being undertaken with AirS through the Local Action Plan Support Programme. NOTE: There will be a need to look at performance indicators when reporting on Action Plan targets, which are under-achieving and un- SMART. The Co-ordinator is currently investigating ways on how to monitor these in a simple fashion. All SL 6

7 NOTE: The Chairman put forward a proposal that a record of achievements be compiled as a body of evidence which would focus on a selection of Action Plan successes. These would be reported publicly to the press, thus raising the profile and validity of the Rother LSP. This proposal was welcomed by all present. 9. LSPs Shaping Their Future Document Scott Lavocah This consultation report document from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister examines the future role of LSPs, their governance, accountability and capacity to deliver Sustainable (reflecting the need to plan for the longer-term) Community Strategies. It refers to important proposals under each of these headings to help understand how LSPs are operating at present and what the Government s plans are for moving the agenda forward. This document will be discussed further at an LSP Executive Board Away-day event on 1 st March Cllr GG/ SL NOTE: A copy of the full report document or a summary report can be obtained from the Co-ordinator. Any other business East Sussex in Figures It is hoped that the LSP Board would have access to this facility by the end of January Projects for People - Workshops Workshops will need to be more broad-based and aimed at a specific audience if they are to be of any value. Activities such as networking and collecting of information are seen as beneficial. Funding to carry out projects will continue to be the main priority. Further information can be obtained from Clive Mills on Tel: or clive.ppi@fsmail.net nd Homes Council Tax Update The Chairman reported that the County Council is to withdraw its contribution of 2nd Homes Council Tax funds from 2007/ 08 with a 50% decrease from 2006/ 07. However, Rother DC Cabinet Members had agreed to fully support 2 nd Homes Council Tax funds until The Chairman would further advocate this agreement at a forthcoming ESCC Cabinet meeting. 11. Date & venue of next Board meeting Wednesday, 22nd March 2006 at Rother Homes, The Watch Oak, Battle at 2.30 pm. h.drive/lsp/lsp Board Minutes 25 January