Agenda and minutes

The Director of Law to report that there are no changes.

1.1      It was noted that there were no changes to the Membership.

1.2      The Chairman welcomed Councillor David Harvey (Cabinet Member for Environment, Sports and Community) and Councillor Jacqui Wilkinson (Deputy Member for Environment, Sports and Community) to the meeting.

1.3      The Chairman also welcomed Councillor Richard Holloway (Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Young People) to the meeting to observe and participate in the Committee’s discussion on the Troubled Families report.   Any questions that Members had regarding the Children, Families and Young People portfolio would be placed on the Committee’s Action Tracker.

To receive declarations of interest by Members and Officers of any personal or prejudicial interests.

2.1      No further declarations of interests in respect of items to be discussed were made, other than those noted in the circulated schedule as set out below in paragraph 2.2.

2.2      Table of Member’s interests tabled at the Committee Meeting was as follows:

To agree the minutes of the meetings held on 28 November 2016.

3.1       RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting held on 28 November 2016 be approved for signature by the Chairman as a true and correct record of the meeting.

a)    To note the progress in implementing the Committee’s Recommendation and Action Trackers.

b)    To provide comment and input into the Work Programme for 2016/17.

4.1       ACTION AND RECOMMENDATION TRACKERS

4.1.1   RESOLVED:

1.    That the Action and Recommendation Trackers be noted.

2.    That the briefing notes on the future of the library service be completed and sent to the Committee.

3.    That the Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Young People respond

to the request from the Committee that front line staff (especially in City Hall) be fully trained to react and deal with vulnerable young people coming into Council buildings.

 4.2      COMMITTEE WORK PROGRAMME

4.2.1   ACTION: That Air Quality and Recycling items be added to the Work Programme. 

Councillor David Harvey (Cabinet Member for Environment, Sports and Community) to update the Committee on current and forthcoming issues in his Portfolio.

5.1       The Committee received a written update from the Cabinet Member who responded to questions on the following topics:

• the £9 million investment in facility improvements across the centres and the positive impact this would have on increased usage and revenue turnover.
• the details of the new library facility at the Seymour site which would provide a permanent solution for a dedicated library service for Marylebone residents.
• the Council’s commitment to tackling car idling and improving air quality.
• the details of the programme of works for the new Chelsea Barracks facility.
• thePorchester Centre public consultation  and the commitment that the outcomes would be reflected in the final plans.
• the possibility of extending the opening hours of the sports facilities.
• the effectiveness of the New Year’s Eve clean up.
• the libraries transformation programme and security within Parks.

Councillor Richard Holloway (Cabinet Member for Children, Families, Young People) to update the Committee on current and forthcoming issues in his Portfolio.

6.1                   The Committee received a written update from the Cabinet Member which covered current and forthcoming issues in his Portfolio.

To review Year two of the Troubled Families Service and suggest areas that could be developed.

7.1       The Committee received a report advising of the progress made in delivering the Troubled Families Programme since joining Phrase 2 of the National Programme in September 2015.  The Committee noted that the Westminster programme was delivered through three tiers of service which consisted of a triage service, family coaching service and the Family Recovery Programme.

7.2       The Committee heard details about the expanded criteria of need and that Phase Two of the programme was more ambitious and challenging with a clear expectation for success to be significant, sustained and measurable through whole family working. The Committee noted how the funding had allowed Westminster to help families that clearly needed support and the various ways families were supported to return to work by identifying appropriate work placements. The Committee discussed the importance of joint working with partner agencies such as children and employment services and the police to efficiently evidence eligibility and monitor and measure progress against the programme for each family.  The Committee noted that to date Westminster had submitted a claim that demonstrated significant and sustained progress to 293 families which would reasonably expected at this point in the programme.

7.3       The Committee discussed the future of the programme as national funding was time limited and the benefits of continuing the programme after the completion of the national programme.  The Committee noted that officers considered that the framework for the national programme included a good set of indicators to measure success and because of this useful data sets had already been established which would be used for future working.

7.4       The Chairman thanked everyone who had given up their time to attend the meeting and contribute to the discussion.

7.5       RESOLVED: The Committee made the following comments which would be forwarded to the Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Young People for consideration:

1. The Committee welcomed the Programme and the impact it was having on driving innovation particularly in the use of data within the Business Intelligent Team.

2. The Committee highlighted the need for a robust measurement to ensure accurate reporting of the impact of the Programme.

3. The Committee urged that the Council starts preparing for the ending of the current programme to ensure that any future programme continues to meets the needs of Westminster residents.

To review the new programme and its first year, including Open Forums.

8.1       The Committee received a report on how the Council currently engages with its communities and the value this has for both the Council and its residents.  The Committee considered future options on how to improve Community Engagement and how Members could facilitate Community Engagement within their Wards.

8.2       The Committee heard details of the community engagement activities the Council had undertaken over the past year and discussed the emerging Community Engagement Strategy for 2017.  The Committee noted that “Open Forum” had formed a large part of the strategy and had been developed as a new way for residents and others in the community to get involved in local decision making at a time and a place that suited them. 

8.3       The Committee discussed the pattern and quality of public engagement and the importance of engaging new people and continuing that engagement for a period of time.  The Committee noted that the Council should take a strategic look at information online to prevent duplication and ensure that users get access to the information they need. 

8.4       The Committee noted that Westminster’s engagement with residents compared well with other boroughs and that public engagement depended on the expectation of the residents in a particular area and how well residents considered a Council was at carrying out its duties.

8.5       The Chairman thanked everyone who had given up their time to attend the meeting and contribute to the discussion.

8.6       ACTION

1.    That the dates of the Open Forums be circulated to all Councillors well in advance of the meetings.

8.7       RESOLVED: The Committee made the following comments which would be forwarded to the Cabinet Member for Environment, Sports and Community for consideration:

1. The Committee welcomed the report and the development of a holistic approach to Community Engagement.

2. The Committee welcomed new channels to meet resident’s needs including the Open Forum meetings and encouraged the Council to build on the depth of engagement from all channels including online engagement.

3. The Committee urged the Council to consider the most effective ways to convert interest in community engagement into participation either through the Council’s engagement activities or support for communities through the voluntary sector.

Verbal Update (if any)

9.1       The Chairman advised that there was nothing to report.

10.       TERMINATION OF MEETING

10 .1    The meeting ended at 8:29pm.