Agenda and minutes

To note any changes to the Membership.

1.1          The Chairman advised that Councillor Lorraine Dean was substituting for Councillor Christabel Flight and Councillor Patricia McAllister was substituting for Councillor Papya Qureshi.

1.2           The Chairman welcomed Councillor Jacqui Wilkinson (Deputy Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Education and Skills) to the meeting.

1.3           The Chairman advised that Councillor David Harvey and Richard Beddoe would not be attending the meeting.  Any questions that Members have regarding the Place Shaping and Planning portfolio would be placed on the Committee’s Action Tracker.

1.4           The Chairman welcomed Roy O’Shaughnessy (Capital College Group),

Savros Chirdaris and Denise Largin (The Camden Society) and Naki Hondus (Westminster resident) who took part in the discussion on the Westminster Employment Service.

To receive declarations by Members and Officers of the existence and nature of any personal or prejudicial interests in matters on this agenda, in addition to the standing declarations previously made.

2.         DECLARATION OF INTEREST

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 approve the minutes of the meeting held on 30 January 2019.

3.1      RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting held on 30 January 2019 be approved for signature by the Chairman as a true and correct record of the proceedings.

Councillor David Harvey (Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Education and Skills) to update the Committee on current and forthcoming issues in his Portfolios.

4.1       The Committee received a written update from the Deputy Cabinet Member who

            responded to questions on the following topics:

·       the development of a new Street Markets Strategy which would include improved sustainability, opportunities for young people, improved online and social promotion and the provision of seating.

·       the success of STEAM Week (Science, Technology, Electronics, Arts and Media) and how the programme engaged over 2141 young people and ran multiple competitions via social media for only £2 per young person.

·       the implementation and launch of the Supported Internship Programme in the Council for young people with special, educational needs and disabilities.

·       the difficulties that nurseries and primary schools were facing with the new National Funding Formula, the future pupil role projections, including SEND pupil projections, and capacity within Westminster schools.

·       the increase in fixed term and permanent exclusions in schools and the possible link with the growth in gang and knife crime.

4.2       ACTIONS

1.     The Committee requested a briefing note on the funding of the Speech and Language Service.

2.     The Committee requested a briefing note outlining the funding issues facing Westminster schools.

3.     The Committee requested that during the development of the new Street Markets Strategy consideration be given to how people with dementia and autism could be supported when using and working in the markets.

4.     The Committee requested to be sent the website link to the Market Strategy.

5.     The Committee requested a briefing note on the number of fixed term and permanent exclusions in schools and the ways schools were tackling the growth in knife crime amongst young people.

6.     The Committee agreed that the new Economic Development and Regeneration Strategy be reviewed by the Committee before it was published.

Councillor Richard Beddoe (Cabinet Member for Place Shaping and Planning) to update the Committee on current and forthcoming issues in his Portfolio.

5.1       The Committee received a written update from the Cabinet Member which

covered current and forthcoming issues in his Portfolio.  Members briefly discussed the new draft City Plan and the further engagement with stakeholders taking place, which included amendments to the heritage and design policies and a different approach to private residential car parking to bring Westminster in line with the rest of London.

To review the progress made in the past 2 years since establishing the Service.

6.1       The Committee received a report summarising the progress which had been made by and the impact of the Westminster Employment Service.  The Committee noted that the Service had been launched in 2017 to support the City for All ambition – Opportunities and Fairness – and with the objective of transforming the lives of vulnerable residents, including long-term unemployment through an effective back-to-work service.

6.2       The Committee discussed how the network of employment coaches had delivered an effective employment service by supporting 1600 residents into employment and that for every £1 invested in the Service via the General Fund, the Service leveraged a further £89.  The Committee noted that a cost benefit analysis showed that the Housing and Employment Learning Project (HELP) had provided public bodies with a net saving of around £450,000, through reduced spending on welfare benefits and temporary accommodation.

6.3       The Committee welcomed the following witnesses who outlined their particular interest in the Westminster Employment Service:

6.4       Roy O’Shaughnessy (Chief Executive, Capital City College Group) commented on how his organisation provided specialist services to help young people and adults gain an education, enter work and develop their career to improve their wellbeing and/or rebuild their lives.  He advised that specialist college courses should be developed specifically in mind for employment and targeted jobs.  He further advised that if colleges tracked their students they would be able to intervene earlier to help them gain meaningful employment.

6.5       Denise Largin and Stravros Chirdaris, (The Camden Society) commented on how the Camden Society generated opportunities for people with disabilities to achieve greater equality and outlined the different approaches they used to employ young people and give them confident to gain employment.  They emphasised the huge difference it would make if all companies committed to employing one person with learning disabilities, as it would improve the person’s life opportunities and well-being and the organisation would gain a loyal employee with a sustainable career.  They further commented on how more apprenticeship schemes needed to be created in organisations. 

6.6       Naki Hondus (Westminster resident) talked about how she had become homeless and ended up in temporary accommodation.  She explained how she had approached the HELP Project after thirteen moves into temporary accommodation, including outside of London.  She advised that with the support from her caseworker she had graduated with a degree in Education and now lived in Westminster with her family and worked as an Area Manager for a childcare company.  She emphasised that without the support of the HELP project, which had given her both support and confidence, she could still be living in temporary accommodation without employment.

6.7       The key themes that emerged from the Committee discussion were:

·       the impact that the Westminster Employment Service was having on residents, including those with the most significant barriers to employment.

·       the importance of maintaining strong partnership working with Westminster Adult Education Service and the NHS and building new partnerships.

·       the importance of maintaining the quality of personalisation offered so this continued to be  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

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

b)    To provide comment and input in to the Work Programme for 2018/19.

7.        ACTION AND RECOMMENDATION TRACKERS AND COMMITTEE WORK PROGRAMME

7.1      ACTION AND RECOMMENDATION TRACKERS

7.1.1   RESOLVED: That the Action and Recommendation Trackers be noted.

7.2      COMMITTEE WORK PROGRAMME

7.2.1   RESOLVED: The Committee agreed to review Libraries at its next meeting.

To consider any other business which the Chairman considers urgent.