ROTHER LOCAL STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP BOARD MEETING Minutes of a Meeting held on 4 th September 2003 at the Watch Oak, Battle

Transcription

1 ROTHER LOCAL STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP BOARD MEETING Minutes of a Meeting held on 4 th September 2003 at the Watch Oak, Battle Chairman: Cllr Graham Gubby, Leader, Rother District Council Present: East Sussex County Council, ESCC Sussex Police, SP Bexhill & Rother Primary Care Trust, PCT Action in Rural Sussex, AIRS Rother Environmental Group, REG Rother Community Links, RCL Bexhill Community Partnership, BCP Ten Sixty Six Enterprise, TSSE In attendance: Rother Community Links, RCL Head of Policy and Performance, RDC Policy Officer, (Sustainable Development), RDC Secretariat: Represented by: Cllr Bob Tidy Supt Nick Bennett Kathy Fordham Pat Buesnel Christopher Strangeways Martin Fisher, Chair Charles Nicholson Linda Williams Cllr Ian Jenkins Cllr Stuart Earl Clive Mills Brenda Mason Scott Lavocah Marie Kennedy Item Notes Action 1. Welcome and Introductions The Chairman welcomed Pat Buesnel attending on behalf of AIRS and Cllr Stuart Earl observing on behalf of Rother District Council. 2. Apologies for Absence Apologies were received from Derek Stevens, Bob Wilkins, Rick Stern, and Trevor Cherrett. 3. Minutes of Last Meeting Agreed as a correct record of the proceedings except under those present where it was clarified that Bruce Mathews correct title should read District and not Divisional Commander. 4. Matters Arising Some action points taken at the last meeting were discussed as follows:- Action 2 The contact list of Board members had been re-circulated by the secretariat and received by all present. Action 3 Lead members of Action Groups had been urged to attend a forthcoming Rural AIF Forum on 2 nd October 2003 at Cavendish Hotel in Eastbourne. The meeting would be important in establishing sources of funding for the Rother Community Plan. Details would be 1

2 circulated by Rother s Policy Officer. SL Action 4 A suggestion was made that a separate minutes page be set up for each Action Group report in order to keep track of projects. Action 6 The PCT had requested reassurance that the Community Strategy consultation timescale of 12 weeks would stand as previously agreed. This was confirmed by the Chairman. Other issues discussed included- i) Lead members were asked to reflect on cross-cutting issues and to report back on how these will be addressed. ii) It was proposed to use the Race Action Forum, when established as a means of addressing Black and Minority Ethnic issues. iii) Rother District Council s forthcoming Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) review was discussed. Members were reminded that information on the assessment had been offered to all partners by way of newsletters and participation in workshops. Any further information would be made available from Rother s Head of Policy. iv) The Chairman gave a short presentation to stimulate debate about future funding to LSP s and Community Plans. This was important in view of the lack of clarity over SEEDA s intention to only fund programmes of work that clearly support the Area Investment Framework s (AIF s) and that this will be done through free standing Executive Delivery Vehicles (EDV s), not yet in place in most areas. 5. Priority Action Plans Discussion was held on the priority action plans, five of which had already been returned to Rother s Policy Officer. A further 4 plans were still outstanding. A round-up of summaries followed and agreement was reached that all outstanding templates would be circulated before being finalised at the next Board meeting. Summaries:- Community Safety Plan Sussex Police reported that the Community Safety group had held a meeting on the 1 st August to discuss the draft template. Although attendance had been poor a draft copy of the plan would be prepared in the forthcoming week. NB Education Plan A report from Rother s Head of Policy confirmed that progress had been made by the Rother Area Learning Partnership. 2

3 Health Plan A report from the PCT stated that the Health Improvement Plan focused on health inequalities including local priorities such as social inclusion, older people and healthy living. It was confirmed that any gaps would be submitted by November in time for the update plan. KF Housing Plan Still outstanding. Employment Plan An Action Plan which had been drawn up by Ten Sixty Six Enterprise following a meeting with the local Chambers of Commerce would include encouraging young people to remain in the area, raising earnings, reducing unemployment and implementing courses on planning issues for the University. The Chief Executive of Ten Sixty Six Enterprise hoped that with the arrival of a new Inward Investment Officer soon to be in post these concerns will be addressed. A proposal was put forward that a representative from Rother DC Planning department be represented on the Employment Action Group. Leisure Plan Rother s Head of Policy confirmed that there had been no alterations to the Leisure Plan to date. However further developments are awaited from the group who will convene following the imminent appointment of a new Leisure Services officer at Rother Council whose task will be to deliver cross-cutting activities. It was agreed that health improvement and physical activities will be represented by the PCT. Transport Plan A report from the County Council s Director of Transport on issues relevant to the link road, route management study, bus transport, road safety, and speed measurement matters was covered by the County s Lead Member for Community Planning. The report also confirmed that rail issues had been secured and would be published soon. Agreement was reached that Kathy Fordham, the present Chairman of the of the Rother Transport Group would liaise with Cllr Bob Tidy to agree suitable representation on this Action Group. Cllr BT/KF Environmental Plan The Rother Environmental Group reported on the success of measures; exhibitions/debates for informing the public on local facilities to be established etc. Additional help from the Board on consultation on objectives would be welcome when reporting back to local AIF s. Young People A report from the Young People s Action Group described the first meeting of the group as positive. Agreement had been reached largely on the vision and measures etc of the template, with the focus 3

4 being on a 10-year programme for the Strategic plan. It had been proposed at that meeting to forge a link with the East Sussex Children and Young People s Partnership. At the close of this item the Chairman asked for the Board s reaction to using the templates. In general, most people were satisfied but a suggestion was made that a summary of cross-cutting issues be included. Agreement was reached that the co-ordination of Action Group plans would be a programme managed by the Board. 6. Preparation of Draft Community Strategy Rother s Policy Officer for Sustainable Development gave a brief résumé on the type of print the Board wished to produce. The Strategy would be put together with the co-operation of a local printing company and the pages posted on the LSP website with cross-cutting issues included in the editorial. Distribution to the public would be made available through household distribution, schools and libraries etc. It is intended that a draft will go out to consultation with the focus being on concrete issues and new facilities. It was noted that the PCT had used a similar poster type publication for its Ten Year Strategy document. Discussion was held on the issue of language to be used in the document. Agreement was reached that this should be jargon free. The importance of branding was also examined. Any suggestions on either or both of these points should be reported back to Rother s Policy Officer. 7. Consultation and Communication A document outlining a guide to good practice prepared and circulated by the Chairman of Rother Community Links was taken away for consideration. Members were asked to report back directly to either Martin Fisher or Rother s Policy Officer. Communication Consideration was given to the importance of getting the message out early. The Rother Community Links Development Manager suggested carrying out a pre-delivery programme outlining the real meaning of LSP and its strapline by way of maximum media and press coverage. Proposals to include information in a local residents budget guide were also being looked into. It was also reported that a new LSP website bulletin board currently being developed will go online in early November. Notification was given of the forthcoming Rural Community Conference which will take place in the first week of December at Ashburnham Place (date to be confirmed). It is the aim of the conference to reach smaller community groups for their views and needs. Furthermore, a wider partners forum could be linked with the launch to debate the whole issue of the Strategy. 4

5 8. Any Other Business Branding of Community Strategy Cllr Stuart Earl expressed his desire to see young people getting involved in contributing to the design and layout of the branding of the Strategy, targeted to their own particular interest. Community Database Rother s Head of Policy reported that the Community Database of contacts established by Rother s Policy Unit will serve as a useful tool for all members and partners in the future. Information from the database can be obtained from the Policy and Performance Unit at the Town Hall as can a copy of version 1 of the Community Profile disc. Neighbourhood Renewal Pathfinder Clarification was sought on whether LSP s will have a part to play in the Neighbourhood Renewal Pathfinder scheme. The Chairman confirmed that senior officers at Rother DC had received written notification about the project and that Rother s Head of Policy would speak to the Director of Services about progress and report back. BM 9. Date and Venue of Next Meeting Thursday, 23 rd October 2003 Elizabeth Room, De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill-on-Sea, commencing at 2.00 pm. W/Local Strategic Partnership/LSP Board - Minutes 4 th Sept 03 5