Issue - meetings

To consider a report of the Assistant Chief Executive (Customer Access and Performance) seeking to raise awareness of the Community First and Community Organiser programmes.  The report also seeks Executive Board approval to support the Council’s active engagement and cooperation in establishing the Community First Programme in Leeds and endorsement that other programmes are, where appropriate, aligned with Community First.

The Assistant Chief Executive (Customer Access and Performance) submitted a report which aimed to raise awareness of the Community First and Community Organiser programmes.  In addition, the report sought the Board’s support for the Council’s active engagement and co-operation in establishing the Community First Programme in Leeds, together with the undertaking that other programmes, where appropriate, would be aligned with the Community First initiative. In determining this matter, the Board took into consideration all matters contained within the accompanying report.

Members welcomed the additional funding which would be received within targeted Wards, however, concerns were raised regarding the process by which the funding would be allocated, the extent to which the local authority had been involved in that process and how the targeted Wards had been identified.

Concerns were raised regarding the remit and the accountability arrangements for the Community Organisers. In addition, Members further considered the criteria which had been used to identify the targeted Wards and enquired how the funding would be used to specifically address those issues on which the selection criteria had been based, such as benefit claimant levels. In response, it was requested that a report was submitted to a future meeting of the Board in order to clarify such matters.

RESOLVED –

(a)  That the Council’s active engagement and co-operation in establishing the Community First Programme in Leeds be supported.

(b)  That the alignment of the programme with other relevant initiatives be endorsed.

(c)  That the Board’s awareness of the Community Organisers’ Programme and the potential relationships with other related programmes, be noted.

(d)  That a further report be submitted to a future meeting of the Board in order to clarify those matters relating to the initiative which had been raised during the discussion.