Agenda and minutes

Welcome from the Chair

The Chairman welcomed new members Cllr Valerie Metcalfe, Julie Chandler, Pam Hall, and Geoff Mangan and apologies were read out.

John Houston     Papers: Minutes and Matters Arising

Review of minutes of last Board meeting and outstanding actions.

Minutes of the last meeting (24^th September 2009) were agreed as a true record.

JH reported that all matters arising were either on track or closed.  There were no questions and no further matters arising.

Sarah King        Paper: Ward Profile Epping Hemnall

Presentation on progress and outcomes of building of pilot ward profiles project.

SK gave a presentation on the Epping Hemnall Ward Profile which was still under development and the first of 33 profiles for EF district. These profiles would complement the “Shaping the Future Report” giving key statistics from a range of partners at a local level. Following discussion it was agreed that the profiles should be updated regularly and connections made with other data gathering projects to avoid duplication.                                                  ACTION 01 SK

Derek Macnab   Paper: Draft Shaping the Future

Oral report on the outcomes of the stakeholder conference of 11^th December

Draft Shaping the Future data profile attached for information / comment. Printed versions already distributed in the conference pack.

DM updated the Board on the Annual LSP consultation event which had been held on 11 December and this year focused on identifying priorities for the refresh of the Sustainable Community Strategy (SCS). This conference was the best attended LSP event to date with 80 people expected and 103 representatives of local groups eventually attending. There were 15 stalls showcasing local groups and activities, 9 more than expected. A conference report will be produced and include feedback from workshops and the question time panel, this information will form part of the input to the Sustainable Community Strategy. A draft SCS will be published in first quarter 2010. The Chairman thanked Colin Rowell and the team from VAEF for all their help on putting together such a successful event. ACTION 02 CR

John Preston    Paper: Essex Local Authorities’ Joint Response

Review of the plan options and the EFDC response.

JP updated members on the latest position with regard to the East of England plan.The first consultation is now closed with EFDC submitting a formal response. The second consultation will be held early in 2010, which offered the LSP an opportunity to submit a response on this important document for the future development of the district. It was suggested a workshop be arranged in January/February for LSP members to discuss the plan and issues it raises in detail and formulate a response. This was agreed.                                                 ACTION 03 JP

John Gilbert

Report on Closed Circuit Television deployment.

A presentation was given by Adrian Petty from the Safer Communities Partnership. This item was moved to the end of the meeting and received in private session due to the content of the information which was discussed. Adrian’s presentation concentrated on the achievements of the current CCTV network with practical examples of the cameras aiding in the detection and prosecution of crime in the district. It also examined potential opportunities for the expansion of the system. Performance Reward Grant supplied by One Epping Forest would be used to support the development of this successful project. The Chairman thanked AP for a very detailed and interesting presentation.

Derek Macnab

Oral update on results of the first from Comprehensive Area Assessment.

DM gave an overview of the recent outcome from the Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA) of Essex County Council (ECC) and the Performance Assessment of Epping Forest District Council (EFDC). A green flag was given to EEC for its innovative ‘response to recession’, however a red flag was given for ‘safeguarding children’ reflecting concerns in the Joint Area Review. It was also noted that EFDC had good levels of recycling and high numbers of people satisfied with the district as a place to live and with their own homes. KB suggested that the district start a business recycling scheme similar to that offered in Chelmsford which was supporting recycling from business and other large consumers. JG responded that EF district does not have the facilities to do this at the moment but would look at other ways that businesses could be actively supported to increase their recycling rates locally.                                                            ACTION 04 JG

VM stated that the red flag is an area of acknowledged concern and that ECC were working very hard on this key priority with approximately 40 extra staff recruited and a number of new initiatives, including a re-organisation around Children’s Trusts, put in place. AH also expressed her concern and suggested that the deployment of staff was an issue which required particularly careful handling to ensure that issues were addressed correctly, and resources remained focused. VM agreed to keep this important area under review.                                            ACTION 05 VM

John Houston   Paper: Steering Group Meeting 26/11 minutes

Report on discussions, key activities and decisions of the steering group and updates from the Theme Groups, including a request for membership of the Board by Essex Police Authority.

JH gave a summary of the Steering Group report and issues which had arisen since the meeting.

Safer Communities

Overall crime remains down, but burglary was up and the team continued to target this as a priority. JG added that the Face the Public event on Nov 17 was very successful. There has also been a successful Scrutiny Panel meeting with another due in February 2010, which will be open to the public.

Multi-Faith Forum

AH reported that the MFF has been invited to attend the Hate Crime Panel and that a number of events were being planned around arts activity, with a successful event on the credit crunch and faith community responses held in the autumn.

Sustainable Communities

The Terms of Reference (TOR) have been revised and agreed. Initial work is to be scoped from 4 key topic areas, housing, transport, economy and environment. AG reported that a subgroup of key partners including the business community is to be set up to review the work-plan with particular focus on the credit crunch response.

Healthier Communities

PH reported that the group has now met twice and is reviewing key data in detail about the drivers of ill health in the district but particularly in hotspots around Waltham Abbey. Some smaller areas in this hotspot appear to be showing declining life expectancy. This data would focus the work of the theme group.

Children’s Partnership (formerly CYPSP)

JH reported in JC’s absence that this new theme group has been formed following the establishment of the Children’s Trusts and the move away from district Children’s and Young Persons Strategic Partnerships (CYPSP). The group has agreed its membership and TOR and has met once. Old CYPSP priorities are being reviewed and will be prioritised during Jan 2010.

Future Jobs Fund Bid

The bid by the West Essex Partnership (WEP) made up of One Epping Forest, Harlow20/20 and Uttlesford Futures had been successful, with the amount awarded in excess of £1million. Over 30 local groups will benefit from this fund with 160 work placements being made available to young long term unemployed people from the area. The Chairman thanked all those who had participated in this very successful bid and pointed out that this was the sort of ‘outcome’ that would make the partnership really important in responding to local needs.

West Essex Partnership (WEP)

The latest WEP meeting took place on Dec 16 and looked at future funding opportunities and developing a shared service/efficiencies Task and Finish team. It was agreed that the Total Place initiative and the drive for significant reductions in public expenditure over the short and medium term would be a major challenge for all three local partnerships and the sectors that take part in them. It was agreed that the Local Improvement Advisor which the partnership had secured would facilitate a Seminar early in the New Year to look at opportunities for better joint working/efficiency across West Essex with all major public service partners invited.                                                                                 ACTION 06 JH

Police  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

Jacqui Foile

Report on the Volunteer Project Reward Grant funded projects being undertaken by VAEF.

The Board received one of its programmed updates from its LAA funded projects on progress and achievements. JF reported on the work of the Supported Mental Health project which places volunteers with mental health in work with registered partner organisations. Currently 29 people have been referred to the project, 23 have been interviewed and 10 people are in volunteering roles. JF thanked the group for its help and support. JF stated that although numbers may seem low at present, it is on track to meet targets. The project will be looking for funding to sustain the project beyond its current 2 year funding allocation.

SP gave a presentation on the Artability project, which supports people with mental health issues in engagement with the arts. This project has 1 paid co-ordinator and runs trips to art galleries and runs workshops. The ultimate goal is to give people the confidence to move in to paid employment.  A group choir has also been established.

JH reported that the LSP will be producing an annual report at the end of the year to highlight outcomes and achievements. KB agreed that this was a good idea, perhaps it be published in the Forester. DM agreed to seek approval for this idea.                                                                                                          ACTION 08 DM 

It was also suggested that the EFDC PR team be involved in promoting the work of the partnership more widely.  JP suggested that the West Essex Partnership be invited along to the RSS workshop. This was agreed.                                                                                                                                           ACTION 09 JP

CT reported a problem in Ongar with the proposed replacement of the Ongar Health Centre. He asked if the LSP Board should be involved. PH stated that after discussion with CT she would look into the situation and report back to the Healthier Communities group on progress on this issue.                                                                                                                                  ACTION 10 PH

DC raised the issue of the development of a new practice on North Weald airfield, which seems to have stalled. PH will also look in this and report back.                                                                                                                     ACTION 11 PH

DM stated that health scrutiny was the responsibility of the West Essex Area Forum, with input from the LSP. YM agreed that any major changes to services should be reviewed in this forum.

JH asked that everyone look at the new website oneeppingforest.org.uk which was being updated regularly with new information. CT asked if the site had hit counters. JH replied that it does. JH also pointed out that the website has links to partner websites and asked that partners include links to the OEF website.                                                                                                                ACTION 12 ALL

Total time 100 minutes