Issue - meetings

Localities and Neighbourhood Working Review

Meeting: 10/10/2011 - City Council (Item 63)

63 Localities and Neighbourhood Working Review pdf icon PDF 50 KB

Cabinet Member: Councillor Jordan

 

The recommendation contained in Cabinet minute 50a together with the written report of the Director for Community Services will be submitted on proposals, including to discontinue Locality Teams, to delegate responsibility for ensuring that neighbourhood level interaction takes place with key health agencies and to revise the boundaries of the neighbourhoods.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Councillor Jordan (Cabinet Member for Community Services (Safer and Stronger Communities and Leisure, Sport and Culture)) submitted the recommendations for the City Council, from Localities and Neighbourhood Working Review. (Cabinet minute 50a refers).

 

The recommendations were seconded by Councillor James who reported that the Council had replaced area committees in February 2010 and the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board had undertaken a review of the arrangements after 12 months in operation.  He indicated that, of the witnesses who had attended the panel, not one had suggested a return to area committees.

 

Following a query on the minute submitted to the City Council, the Assistant Director for Democracy and Governance reported that some of the recommendations in the Cabinet minute were Cabinet decisions and others required approval by the City Council.  He undertook to circulate a copy of the Cabinet and City Council decisions to all councillors.

 

Agreed -

 

(1)

to discontinue Locality Teams, set up as part of Locality and Neighbourhood Working arrangements in February 2010 and rescind the lead ward councillor decision.  A member of the Council’s Senior Management Team (SMT) should be nominated for each ward within the city, with designated duties with respect to support for ward councillors and neighbourhood working, subject to the SMT Members’ role being to support and guide Neighbourhood Liaison Officers and not overlap their role (scrutiny recommendation 2);

 

(2)

to commend revised arrangements to Plymouth 2020 partnership and, subject to agreement, to publicise to and brief relevant stakeholders from all agencies and residents (scrutiny recommendation 6);

 

(3)

 

subject to Health and Wellbeing Board arrangements being confirmed, that the Shadow Health and Wellbeing Board takes responsibility for ensuring that neighbourhood level interaction takes place with key health agencies (scrutiny recommendation 9);

 

(4)

 

that plans are put in place to adopt the proposed boundary changes set out in the overview report (Appendix A and Figure 1 in the officer’s report refers) (scrutiny recommendation 10);

 

(5)

that the Constitution is updated to reflect revised member and officer accountability arrangements for neighbourhoods and wards (scrutiny recommendation 13).

 


Meeting: 13/09/2011 - Cabinet (Item 50)

50 Localities and Neighbourhood Working Review pdf icon PDF 774 KB

Cabinet Member: Councillor Jordan

CMT Lead Officer: Director for Community Services

 

Councillor James (Chair of the Task and Finish Group and the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board) has been invited to attend the meeting to present the recommendations of the Task and Finish Group, contained in the scrutiny report on Localities and Neighbourhood Working Review.

 

A written report will be submitted on the scrutiny recommendations.  

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Director for Community Services submitted a written report on the recommendations of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board Task and Finish Group, and recommended acceptance of the proposals subject to the comments contained in the written report.

 

Councillor Jordan (Cabinet Member for Community Services (Safer and Stronger Communities and Leisure, Culture and Sport) presented the proposals which had been drawn up in consultation with partners. 

 

Councillor James (Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board and the Task and Finish Group) presented the scrutiny report on localities and neighbourhood working review, which had been approved by the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board.  

 

Agreed that –

 

(1)

subject to work undertaken by Strategic Housing Services in priority neighbourhoods being continued to be known as ‘neighbourhood management’, locality and neighbourhood working is renamed ‘neighbourhood working’ (Task and Finish Group Recommendation (R1);

 

(2)

best practice protocols regarding neighbourhood meeting arrangements are produced and shared amongst Neighbourhood Liaison Officers (NLO) and newly designated Senior Management Team members, with a view to promoting, implementing and monitoring consistent high quality arrangements.  This would include flexibility over meetings to allow joint neighbourhood meetings up to ward level (only) if agreed locally (R3);

 

(3)

 

the role and identity of members are included in publicity regarding neighbourhood meetings (R4);

 

(4)

 

NLO roles are reviewed to ensure that skill sets of individuals match the demands of the job and specific training needs analysis is  carried out to ensure training and development is available where

needed.  Line managers of NLOs will include the role within the NLO’s personal objectives, and will seek feedback from councillors at appraisal. NLO’s and their line managers will ensure that the role is integral to, rather than in addition to their work programme, and that adequate support is available to assist them in the role (R5);

 

(5)

analysis of repeat issues in neighbourhoods, and of complaints is undertaken to ensure that the necessary learning is taking place. This practice will be included in best practice protocols for

neighbourhood working (R7);

 

(6)

a review is undertaken by the Customers and Communities Overview and Scrutiny Panel and a report submitted to the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board with respect to the role of community infrastructure and community anchor organisations in supporting neighbourhood working and combine with decision (8) below (R8);

 

(7)

neighbourhood profiles are reviewed and updated in line with the findings and recommendations of this review (R11);

 

(8)

a review is undertaken of communication methods around neighbourhood working, with recommendations back to the Customers and Communities Overview and Scrutiny Panel and

combine with decision (6) above (R12);

 

(9)

with regard to R14 that a review of these arrangements is carried out as a Task and Finish Group in July 2012, it is suggested to the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board that the review is held later to allow a full 12 months of implementation under the new arrangements;

 

(10)

the Management Board’s  ...  view the full minutes text for item 50