Agenda item - Chairs Communications

30.1   The Chair stated that it was a busy time of the year and that there were a number of areas of work that she wished to highlight.

            Hate Crime Week

30.2    During Hate crime week in October the Communities team had launched a zero tolerance to hate crime poster campaign with Brighton & Hove Buses – hopefully some of those present would have seen those. The team had also ran a social media campaign, producing 10 short films featuring individuals from different communities in the city talking about standing against hate. The films had received thousands of hits and really positive feedback.

30.3    The team has also been working hard on building trust and confidence in different communities to report hate crime. Working with a diverse range of community groups and the police the team was developing work on the role of witnesses in standing up to hate and reporting hate incidents.

30.4    The Clare project supported by our communities’ team had also hosted a very moving and well attended remembrance service on Trans Day of Remembrance. It was fantastic to see councillors from all the parties in attendance and actively showing their support and solidarity with the Trans community.

            Brighton & Hove Faith Covenant

30.5    The Chair stated that she was also pleased to be able to update that following the Committees’ decision at its last meeting thatthe council and the city’s faith communities had signed up to the Brighton & Hove Faith covenant on November 18^th as part of celebrating inter-faith week.

            Refugee Re-Settlement Programme

30.6    The thirteenth Syrian family had arrived in the city under the government’s refugee resettlement programme. All of the families had arrived into private rented properties, with most landlords agreeing to rents within Local Housing Allowance rates. Some of the children had already achieved excellent attainment at local schools, having picked up their education after many months or even years of interrupted schooling. The Communities Equality and Third Sector Team continued to successfully manage the programme, negotiating with landlords and co-ordinating a large partnership of agencies and departments who are involved in receiving and integrating the new families.

30.7    Early in the year the communities’ team working with staff from families, children and learning directorate and from key voluntary sector organisations had been successful in securing funding from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to develop an ESOL hub in the city. The Chair was pleased to be able to announce that the previous Friday a hub co-coordinator had been recruited and that this work would go live in the New Year. The project would bring together and strengthen the city’s offer for migrants who needed to improve their English language through ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages – ESOL), a key aspect of helping new arrivals to settle and become integrated into the life of the city.

            Third Sector Investment Programme in the City

30.8    Talking of money, the Chair explained that working with Ottaway Limited, an independent consultant, officers had been evaluating the impact of the council’s Third sector Investment Programme and early indications were that:

·         community and voluntary sector partnerships generated around £6m income through partnership bids as a result of the Council’s Third Sector Commission funding, a return on investment of approx. £3 for every pound spent;

·         the council and CCG’s funding impacted directly on 35,959 beneficiaries across the city, exceeding targets set at the commencement of the programme by 142%

The full and final evaluation report would be presented to NICE committee in January.

            Safer Neighbourhoods Service: Week of Action

30.9    Last but not least, the Chair wished to inform the Committee that officers from the Safer Neighbourhoods Service would be participating in a week of action to help tackle county lines, cuckooing and modern slavery following a county summit on VVE which had taken place in November.

30.10  RESOLVED – That the contents of the Chair’s Communications be noted and received.