Agenda and minutes

In the absence of the Committee Chair, nominations were sought for a Member to preside as Area Committee Chair for the duration of the meeting. It was then moved by Councillor Congreve and seconded by Councillor Nash and

RESOLVED – That Councillor Groves be elected as Chair of the Area Committee for the duration of the meeting.

With the agreement of those Members present, the Committee considered a late item of business in the form of a Wellbeing application entitled, ‘Belle Isle and Middleton Magazine’, which was to be determined as part of agenda item 8 (Wellbeing Report). Minute No. 58 refers.

To disclose or draw attention to any disclosable pecuniary interests for the purposes of Section 31 of the Localism Act 2011 and paragraphs 13-16 of the Members’ Code of Conduct.

There were no declarations of interest made at the meeting.

Apologies for absence from the meeting had been received on behalf of Councillors Gabriel, Davey, Iqbal and Truswell.

(Councillors Blake and Ogilvie joined the meeting during the consideration of this item)

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 11^th December 2013.

RESOLVED – That the minutes of the meeting held on the 11^th December 2013 be approved as a correct record.

In accordance with Paragraphs 6.24 and 6.25 of the Area Committee Procedure Rules, the Chair allowed a period of up to 10 minutes for members of the public to make representations or ask questions on matters within the terms of reference of the Area Committee.

Members of the ‘Friends of Stankhall Barn’ group raised concerns regarding correspondence which had been recently received outlining the timescales by which the Council intended to respond to the group on their proposals to establish a community growth space on the site. As a result, it was requested that the matter be pursued, in order to speed up the process wherever possible and to ensure that levels of communication with the group were maximised. The issue of food poverty in the area was highlighted, and it was emphasised that one of the aims of the project was to help address this problem. In addition, it was also requested that further assessment work be undertaken in respect of the Roman remains on the site.

Members noted the comments and concerns raised and it was confirmed that the Chief Executive had been made aware of the correspondence sent on behalf of the Council. In response, the Committee undertook that the matter would be pursued with a view to the process being speeded up wherever possible, with the Friends group being kept informed of any progress made. Furthermore, Members highlighted that the Council was making every effort to address the issue of food poverty wherever possible.

To receive a report of the Assistant Chief Executive (Citizens and Communities) which provides confirmation of the 2012/13 and 2013/14 revenue allocation and carry forward figure; an update on the revenue element of the Wellbeing budget; details of revenue projects agreed to date; details of Activities Fund Delegation 2013/14; details of project proposals for consideration and approval; and the current position of the Small Grants Budget.

The Assistant Chief Executive (Citizens and Communities) submitted a report confirming the Committee’s 2012/13 and 2013/14 revenue allocation and carry forward figure, provided an update on the revenue element of the Wellbeing budget, detailed the revenue projects agreed to date and also provided information on the Activities Fund Delegation 2013/14.  In addition, the report sought Members’ consideration of the Wellbeing project proposals which had been submitted and provided an update on the current position of the Small Grants budget.

RESOLVED –

(a)  That the contents of the submitted report be noted.

(b)  That the current position of the Wellbeing budget, as set out within paragraph 3.0 of the submitted report be noted.

(c)  That the Wellbeing revenue projects already agreed, as listed within Table 2 of the submitted report be noted.

(d)  That the Small Grants position, as detailed at paragraph 5.0 of the submitted report be noted.

(e)  That the following be agreed in respect of those expressions of interest received for  Wellbeing funding project proposals which were detailed within section 4.0 of the submitted report:-

To receive a report of the Assistant Chief Executive (Citizens and Communities) bringing to Members’ attention in a succinct fashion, details of the range of activities with which the Area Support Team are engaged in based on the Area Committee Business Plan priorities, that are not addressed in greater detail elsewhere on this agenda. It provides opportunities for further questioning or the opportunity to request a more detailed report on a particular issue.

The Assistant Chief Executive (Citizens and Communities) submitted a report which brought together details of the range of activities with which the Area Support Team were engaged in, based on the Area Committee Business Plan priorities, that were not addressed in greater detail elsewhere within the agenda. It also provided opportunities for further discussion on particular issues.

The Chair invited those Lead Members present to update the Committee on the work which was currently being undertaken within their respective themed areas. In the absence of the Lead Member for Health and Wellbeing, the Area Leader provided the Committee with an update on the activities being undertaken in this field. Members considered and noted the following:-

Employment, Skills and Welfare

·  the current work being undertaken by the Welfare Reform Working Group;

·  the initiative undertaken by Asda in Middleton, which was aimed at preparing people for employment;

·  the action being taken with colleges to address the shortage of bricklayers in the area;

·  the current position and numbers visiting the South Leeds Food Bank;

·  the positive work of the ‘Financial Fitness’ programme.

Environment and Community Safety

·  the current work being undertaken by the Inner South Environmental Sub Group;

·  the priorities and current work programme of the South Leeds Community Safety and Environmental Partnership.

Health and Wellbeing

·  the actions being taken to tackle the issue of obesity and promote physical activity and healthy lifestyles, which included the establishment of a provider partnership for the Inner South area, together with the work being undertaken with the Licensing section in order to monitor and improve the nutritional value of food served by local takeaways;

·  that an electronic trial was scheduled to begin with respect to the Multi Agency Referral Scheme (MARS);

·  the current work being undertaken by the South East Area Health and Wellbeing Partnership Forum.

Responding to an enquiry, officers undertook to provide Members with a statistical breakdown of how many Inner South residents had become involved in the ‘Leeds Let’s Get Active’ scheme to date, the proportion of those who were young people and the types of facilities which they had been accessing.

Adult Social Care

·  that the Deputy Director Adult Social Carewas to be the Adult Social Care link with the Area Committee Lead Member;

·  the action which was to be taken to address the issue of isolation in the community, and also the work being taken to assist those who suffered from dementia;

The Committee also received an update on the work being undertaken with regard to Integrated Locality Working, with particular reference being made to the various Neighbourhood Improvement Boards (NIBs) and the Holbeck Neighbourhood Plan. With regard to City and Hunslet NIB, it was noted that City and Hunslet Ward Members had recently considered and agreed for the ‘Environmental Small Grants Scheme Project’ identified through the NIB Improvement Plan to be funded via the £30,000.00 which had been allocated to the NIB.

RESOLVED – That the contents of the submitted report, together with the appendices, be noted.

6pm, Wednesday 19^th March 2014. BITMO Gate, Aberfield Gate, Belle Isle, Leeds, LS10 3QH.

6.00 p.m. on Wednesday, 19^th March 2014 at BITMO Gate, Aberfield Gate, Belle Isle, Leeds, LS10 3QH.