Agenda item

To consider the attached report of the Chief Executive and the Director of Environment and Neighbourhoods presenting the Scrutiny Board with the proposals for a new set of strategic planning documents for the Board’s information and consideration before the proposals are submitted to the Executive Board and Council for approval.

The Chief Executive and the Director of Environment and Neighbourhoods submitted a joint report outlining proposals for a new strategic planning structure, which encompassed the Vision for Leeds document, the Council’s Business Plan and also a review and re-shaping of partnership arrangements across the City and the Leeds Initiative.

In attendance at the meeting, and responding to Members’ queries and comments, were:-

-  Neil Evans, Director of Environment and Neighbourhoods.

-  Martin Dean, Head of Leeds Initiative and International Partnerships.

-  Heather Pinches, Performance Manager.

In brief summary, the main points of discussion were:-

·  The need for ALMOs to be on board as a partner in delivering the strategic plans.  The Director indicated that this was in hand;

·  Action Plans – the next stage of the process would be to draw up action plans regarding how the various priorities would be achieved, and these would be submitted in due course to Scrutiny Boards.  It was suggested that Members needed base-line information in order to be able to measure eventual improvement;

·  ‘Leeds’ economy will be prosperous and sustainable’ – Care needed to be taken to ensure that Leeds residents benefited directly from any increased job or training opportunities, especially those residents from a BME or deprived background, and that the City was not just creating opportunities for non-Leeds people.  The Council itself needed to do more to ensure that the make up of its own work force better reflected the ethnic make up of the City;

·  Transport – Concerns were expressed regarding communities being left isolated by lack of proper public transport provision and lack of services after 10.00 pm.  Reference was made to the Bus Quality  Contract initiative which hopefully would address the issues;

·  Health and Wellbeing – Anti-smoking measures needed targeting at children just as much, if not more, than adults, and teenage pregnancy rates also needed tackling more efficiently;

·  Housing – The desperate need for more affordable housing needed to be addressed, and tackling current empty property levels was regarded as part of the possible solution.  New homes were only part of the issue – there were also infrastructure concerns too.

·  The Council should, it was suggested, explore gas plasma technology in relation to reclaiming landfill sites and job creation;

·  Local residents needed greater encouragement and involvement in civic affairs;

·  Education achievement levels, school attendance issues and school transport matters were touched upon;

·  The Government’s current review of the benefits system and its effects on people in receipt of the Disability Living Allowance, and on single parents in terms of training opportunities, was discussed.  Members felt that a training seminar on this topic for Council Members would be useful;

·  It was accepted that, against a backdrop of world recession and vastly reduced resources, the Council was limited regarding what realistic effect it could have on some of the above issues.  However, it needed to be identifying ‘gaps’ and opportunities where perhaps it could play a significant role in improving the lives of Leeds’ residents.

RESOLVED –

a)  That, subject to the above comments and suggestions, the report be received and noted.

b)  That the Board receive further reports as and when action plans are developed.

(NB:  Councillors P Gruen and M Iqbal joined the meeting at 10:03 am, at the commencement of this item.)