Issue - items at meetings - Strengthening Communities Review

Report of the Acting Director of Strategy & Governance (copy to follow).

RESOLVED –

(i)         That the Committee note the content of this initial report and that a further report will be submitted to the committee covering remaining issues.

(ii)        That the Committee note the following principles for commissioning based on review findings.

27.1    The Committee considered a report from the Acting Director of Strategy & Governance regarding Strengthening Communities Review.

27.2    The Communities and Partnerships Officer, Ms Cambridge, introduced the report and stated that reporting of the review would be in two stages, with this first stage focussing on activity that needed commission and funding in Brighton & Hove. The second part of the reporting would include corporate recommendations and city observations.

            Ms Cambridge highlighted some of the findings which showed that some engagement activity performed by the Council was in fact more to do with customer services, and based around informing rather than empowering. However, it was found that the work done by the Communities Voluntary Sector Forum and the Stronger Communities Partnership was very successful. Whilst the community development support work had a significant impact on increasing the voice of the community, it had no direct impact on reducing inequalities, and lots of the work done by the Council was in supporting administrative structures rather than funding direct “grass-roots” activity.

27.3    The Chairman thanked Ms Cambridge for the report and noted the huge number of stakeholders who had taken part in the complex review. He stated that the report would be considered at the November Cabinet meeting.

27.4    Councillor Elgood was disappointed at the negative response to neighbourhood forums, and asked whether increasing the network between the Council and Local Action Teams (LATs) had been considered as an issue. He also asked whether the £500,000 area place grant was to be spent in this financial year. Ms Cambridge acknowledged that LATs were increasingly successful but were mainly supported by Sussex Police, who were undertaking their own review of LAT engagement across the City. The Council would of course be a major stakeholder in this review and would respond accordingly. The £500,000 was area based grant had already been spent as agreed by a cross party commissioning group over two years.

27.5    Councillor Randall felt that neighbourhood forums had been increasingly successful and were often the basis of an LAT, but he was aware that the Police had concerns about being able to support the increased growth in these community associations. Cross sector funding had been vital to this and Councillor Randall asked how support for smaller associations would be achieved in the future. Ms Cambridge acknowledged that not enough funding and support was going to the grass-roots organisations and it was recommended that the Council commission more of this type of work.

27.6    Councillor Mitchell commended the report and felt that supporting those less able to achieve community improvements was a key priority. She felt that funding and support needed to continue whilst these new projects were set up. Ms Cambridge agreed with this and noted that it was referred to in the report.

27.7    Councillor Mears agreed that it was a very good report and timely due to the financial pressures facing the Council budget. She felt the finding that much engagement support funding was spent on structures rather than grass roots activity was very important, and this situation needed to change as it was a starting point to building community involvement at grass roots level.

27.8    Councillor Simpson noted that the next report would be substantial and asked when it would be ready and if this would be after the government’s spending review. The Chairman confirmed that it would be after the spending review.

27.9    Councillor Simpson went on to say that she did not feel the impact of EB4U had been fully appreciated as in her own area she had seen a lasting impact for the community and for lives of individuals in that community.

27.10  Councillor Mears highlighted that the EB4U project had received £47,000,000 in funding but in some areas of the city was not as embedded as it could have been. Organisations that had been established under this funding were now failing because they were unsustainable and could not survive without funding support.  She felt that this was because they had started out with top down objectives rather than supporting grass level objectives. Councillor Mears also felt that there were areas of the city that had not seen any of this funding.

27.11  Councillor Mitchell stated that the EB4U project had been set up to deliver services in a better way. One of the aims was to reduce crime in the community and the successful city wide Crime Reduction Unit had been created from this. Councillor Mitchell also pointed to the Crew Club, which had been established under this project and was now delivering youth services in a better way than the statutory services. She agreed that some aspects of the EB4U project had not been successful but overall she could see as a ward Councillor that it had provided a more settled area than before, and a clear feeling that the community benefited from the projects. She added that the Council needed to work together to support the whole city.

27.12  Councillor Mears replied that as a ward Councillor under the New Deal they had looked at assets to ensure communities funding was continued. She was now finding that organisations that were funded from the top down were struggling to continue without support and added that these were the views of her constituents as well.

27.13  RESOLVED -

1.         That the Committee note the content of this initial report and that a further report will be submitted to the committee covering remaining issues.

2          That the Committee note the following principles for commissioning based on review findings.

a)         Third Sector Representation:

·                    Continuing to commission third sector representation across all activity linked to Intelligent Commissioning.

·                    Continuing to commission third sector representation and involvement in the delivery of the Sustainable Community Strategy.

·                    In particular, ensure support focuses on supporting smaller, neighbourhood and grass roots groups.

b)         Strategic Coordination of Community Engagement:

·                    Continuing to commission strategic coordination of the Community Engagement Framework and action plan.

·                    Continuing to commission activities that support and develop best practice in community engagement.

c)         People and Place:

·                    Commission through a need analysis approach that takes into account both people and place, ensuring those less able to engage and participate are supported.

·                    Commission for bottom up solutions that support communities to identify their own solutions to local issues and problems.

·                    Commission for the outcomes of engagement rather than activities that impose structures, allowing different communities to decide what works for them.