Issue - meetings

To note a report by the Head of Scrutiny and Member Development in order for the Area Committee to share their views as part of a Scrutiny Action Learning Project on Community Development in Health and Wellbeing.

(Council Function)   -   I0 Mins

The Head of Scrutiny and Member Development submitted a report regarding the Scrutiny Action Learning Project around Community Development in Health and Wellbeing.  Leeds City Council had been one of only nine local authorities to receive £20,000 funding to carry out an action learning project around Community Development in Health and Wellbeing and Area Committees were being consulted to ensure awareness was raised City wide.

Councillor B Lancaster, Chair of Scrutiny Board (Health and Adult Social Care) presented the report which asked for the views of the Area Committee on the following issues:

·  Recognition of Community Development in health

·  Impact of Community Development in health

·  Barriers and gaps in delivering effective community health development work

Appended to the report was a copy of the Terms of Reference for the Scrutiny Board (Health and Adult Social Care) inquiry into Community Development in Health and Wellbeing for Members’ information.

Members informed Councillor Lancaster that there are three partnership groups in the West Inner area namely, (FIG) Fairfield Improvement Group, (BIG) Broadlea Improvement Group and (WIG) Wyther Improvement Group.  These Groups include health, Leeds West Homes tenants and Area Management to improve the life opportunities of these communities.  These groups have action plans which focus on reducing poverty and debt, improving the environment and access to education/employment amongst other things.

Other groups are:-

·  Armley Helping Hands and Bramley Elderly Action are further examples

  of how Community Development impact on health.

·  Local Schools are participating in five a day and healthy schools initiatives.

·  A City wide example of Community Development is Minority Ethnic Mental Health Opportunities (MENHO), Health Living Centre (HLC), part of Touchstone which capacity builds small BME (Black and Minority Ethnic) organisations across Leeds to improve health and wellbeing.

Members expressed their concern that there were threats to the current seven HLC’s in Leeds whose funding ends next year.  There was a new lottery bid for all seven HLC’s as well as a regional bid for the 23 HLC’s across Yorkshire and Humberside.

Members felt that there were five main barriers to delivering Community Development outcomes.  The Government and Department of Health requires Statutory Bodies to monitor against several strategic health objectives which could only be achieved by the seven HLC’s.

If the HLC’s go, Government funding would be cut because the targets which were linked to this funding would not be met.  The voluntary sector also experiences barriers in the form of different treatments from statutory funders, especially Social Services for example, the Day Service Review requires voluntary sector agencies to bid for new contracts but Social Services work and staff will be protected.

RESOLVED - 

(a)  That the report and appendices be noted.

(b)  That the Area Management Team co-ordinate Members’ responses and   provide feedback to Scrutiny Board (Health and Adult Social Care).