Agenda and minutes

No Declarations of Interest were made. 

The minutes of the previous meeting of the Cabinet Member for Communities and Cohesion held on 4^th November, 2013, were considered.

Resolved: -  That the minutes of the previous meeting be agreed as an accurate record. 

The Director for Housing and Neighbourhoods (Neighbourhood and Adult Services Directorate) introduced a report that outlined progress against the Deprived Neighbourhoods Agenda. 

Further to Minute No. C25 (Disadvantaged Areas) of a meeting of the Cabinet held on 20^th June, 2012, approval was given to an approach of working with deprived neighbourhoods to increase their infrastructure. 

The report outlined the Indices of Multiple Deprivation of 2011, which demonstrated a worsening position for Rotherham.  In addition to the Indices, data relating to Department for Work and Pensions, long-term unemployment figures, and qualifications rates, it was found that there were eleven areas of the Borough where there were concentrations of people for whose quality of life was significantly below the norm of other areas within the Borough. 

Therefore, the proposal in June 2012 relating to the Deprived Neighbourhood Agenda was made.  It aimed to: -

• Change the character of an area;
• Improve the opportunities available to people;
• Improve individuals’ quality of life. 

The Director for Housing and Neighbourhoods reported on the organisational and staffing structure of the Deprived Neighbourhood’s Agenda and successes: -

• Each Deprived Neighbourhood had identified between four and seven priority issues;
• Co-ordinators were working corporately to ensure interagency commitment and progress against the priority issues;
• Current successes of the programme included: -
  • East Herringthorpe had accessed funding to enable a one-year programme to improve community infrastructure through the employment of five Community Organisers;
  • A Deprived Neighbourhood’s Event for Ferham, Eastwood , East Dene, Canklow and  the Town Centre was held on 23^rd October at the New York Stadium to increase awareness, bring strategic and operational partners together and to advise the Health and Wellbeing Board on ten ‘key points’ that were central to tackling deprivation in the Central area of the borough;
• Communication with Council-wide M3 Managers had taken place, to request that the Deprived Neighbourhood Agenda should be built into Service Plans and embedded into all activities;
• Work with Tesco in preparation for their new Town Centre store.  If Tesco classified the new store as a ‘regeneration store’ it would offer up increased opportunity for targeted deprived community employment as 40% of the new posts would be given to Job Seekers’ Allowance claimants.

The submitted report showed the defined priorities for each area and the Action Plans for each of the eleven areas were included.

Discussion ensued on the information presented and the following points were raised: -

• Working with Private Sector Partners – did jobs exist for Job Seekers’ Allowance claimants to apply for?
• What were the differences made to peoples’ lives from the work of the eleven Deprived Neighbourhoods?
  • Investment co-ordination;
  • Added-value for partnership working;
  • Anecdotal support;
  • Community engagement and perception surveys could be undertaken to provide a long-term view. 

Resolved: - (1)  That the report be received and its content noted. 

(2) That a further report be presented to the Cabinet at the end of the financial year 2013/2014 outlining the positive impacts of the Deprived Neighbourhood Agenda. 

Consideration was given to the report presented by the Operational Commissioner (Commissioning, Policy and Performance, Neighbourhood and Adult Services Directorate) that outlined the on-going commissioning of the restorative justice system ‘REMEDI’, which was used by the Youth Offending Service within Children and Young People’s Services to liaise with the victims of crime and on the application of restorative justice. 

Minute No. E55 (Restorative Justice – Waiving of Standing Orders) of the meeting of the Cabinet Member for Communities and Cohesion held on 29^th April, 2013, agreed an initial exemption to Standing Order 48.1 in respect of the REMEDI contract until 30^th September, 2013.

A further exemption from Standing Order 48.1 (requirement to invite between 3 and 6 external quotations for contracts estimated at £50,000 and above) until 31^st March, 2014 was now requested for the sub-regional commissioning approach to be concluded.  The Operational Commissioner explained the commissioning process that had taken place since the original Exemption had been granted.  It was necessity to re-tender the service in order to ensure that the eventual successful bidder had the opportunity to bid on the correct information. 

Resolved: - That an Exemption of Standing Order 48.1 (requirement to invite between 3 and 6 external quotations for contracts estimated at £50,000 and above) be approved in respect of the commissioning of REMEDI, the restorative justice contract, until 31^st March, 2014. 

The Head of the Integrated Youth Support Service (Schools and Lifelong Learning, Children and Young People’s Services Directorate) updated the Cabinet Member for Communities and Cohesion on the Integrated Youth Support Service.

This year’s Fawkes activities had been extremely successful.  Initial data from South Yorkshire Police suggested that anti-social behaviour had decreased 40% based on the previous year’s statistics.  There was acknowledgement amongst partners that this was due to the efforts of Youth Workers and the activities that they had provided over the week encompassing Halloween and Bonfire Night. 

The Service currently had a high number of part-time vacancies for Sessional Workers.  A recruitment campaign had taken place and 140 applicants had been received for the 51 vacancies. The Head of Service was confident that the applicants would be of a high quality and that all vacancies would be filled in the short-term. 

The Service was participating in budget reductions as part of Children and Young People’s Services Directorate’s budget setting process. 

A tendering exercise for the Care Leaver’s Service had recently been concluded.

Resolved: - That the information shared be noted.

·         Monday 16^th December, 2013, to start at 12.00 noon in the Rotherham Town Hall. 

Resolved: -  That the next meeting of the Cabinet Member for Communities and Cohesion take place on Monday 16^th December, 2013, to start at 1.00 p.m. in the Rotherham Town Hall.