Agenda item

[Electoral Divisions: All Eden]

To consider a report from the Assistant Director - Customer and Community Services

This report provides Local Committee with an update on the work of each area, identified activity against priorities, highlights current issues and provides an overview of the budget position

A report was considered from the Assistant Director - Customer and Community Services regarding Area Planning in Eden. The report brought together information from across the community teams including Community Development and Services as well as Public Health. The report gave an update on each area, identified activity against priorities, highlighted current issues and provided an overview of the budget position.

The Area Manager presented the report. He advised that following discussions with the Chair, the budget appendices had been streamlined, in line with other Local Committees’ budget reporting arrangements. Members could request information outside of the meeting if required.

Members’ attention was drawn to the additional funding for the cost of living crisis. They were appraised of the amounts identified for the local urgent food supply network and to enable community organisations to distribute money to local households in need of support. £10,000 would be distributed to support Eden’s foodbanks and proposals for the remaining funding would be brought to a future meeting. The Team was identifying organisations who distributed cash and vouchers to the community and they would receive £14,400. There were grants for 5 charities.

The Area Manager highlighted the recommendation to support the Inspiring Eden Enterprise Hub. Members had discussed this at a workshop and were being asked to make a formal decision on the matter.

The Chair gave an account of his involvement with the successful Dragons Apprentice Challenge. He had attended the award ceremony on behalf of the Local Committee who had part funded the challenge.

The Chair talked about the Inspiring Eden Enterprise Hub. He explained how it formed the basis of Eden’s Levelling Up Fund bid and, if successful, would attract over £7m of funding. He suggested that members following the workshop  were happy to support it with 2 provisos. Firstly, that assurances were given that the programme considered and supported the current growth in Penrith Town and linked in with other projects such as Borderlands Plan and the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan. Secondly, there should be significant consultation with stakeholders in order to shape the area for the future. Members considered the 2 provisos to be fundamental to supporting the Hub and should be outlined in a letter of support.

A member who was supportive in principle of the Hub expressed her concerns. The first related to the significant amount of work spearheaded by the County Council in partnership with other organisations and was now on the verge of delivery. She suggested that the letter of support should include the words that the Hub should ‘reflect upon and support’ all of the work about to be delivered. She considered stakeholder engagement to be key.

In support of the above, another member referred to local residents talking about 111 expressions of interest to the Inspiring Eden programme. She thought that people should know about the town projects and how they would fit in to current County Council and partnership projects going forward. She asked for more understanding of the 111 expressions of interest.

The Chair advised that the letter of support would include the ‘reflect upon and support all of the work about to be delivered’ to reflect the members’ discussion.

The Area Manager hoped that Area Planning would continue in the new Westmorland and Furness Local Authority, with one member expressing its importance as a mechanism to have dialogue with partners and organisations in the districts. Members talked about the importance of sharing information, communication and collaboration.

The Area Manager would share the letter to be sent to the Inspiring Eden Employment Hub with members.

After talking about her discussions with the Police about teenage antisocial behaviour on Howgill Park and the wider Eden area, a member explained how local police did not know about County Council support projects for teenagers in Eden and vice versa. She thought that this information could be shared with the Police Officer who ran the Penrith Multi-Agency Hub. She thought that it would be beneficial to ascertain current teenager support provision, the gaps in provision and what was needed for the future.

The same member talked about her recent discussions with Fibrous. She advised on its lack of knowledge of the work that the Highways team undertook. She felt there was a lack of communication from Fibrous and commented on the quality of work they did. She asked the Local Area Network Manager – Eden contact them to discuss the quality of work relating to pavements. It was noted that they had a map of works which would be useful to members. The Local Area Network Manager – Eden gave an account of information he had passed onto Fibrous.

Members were informed about a cost of living display which would be hosted by Eden library in September.  The Citizens Advice Service would be present and there would be public drop in sessions.

After being asked by a member if the Citizens Advice Service was still functioning (as a resident had not been able to contact them), the Area Manager undertook to ascertain what was happening as the Local Committee was providing funding for the organisation.

Discussion turned to Health and Wellbeing. A member advised on discussions at a forthcoming meeting about the lack of GPs but highlighted that dentistry was not referenced. The Area Manager would refer this matter onto the Public Health Locality Manager for her to raise at the meeting. After concurring that the matter was important, the Chair advised that lack of dentistry was a national issue.

The Chair put the recommendations, as set out in the report, to the Committee. These were agreed by assent.

RESOLVED, that

1          Members note the budget allocations for 2022-23 and the commitments and expenditure recorded to date.

2          Members note the provisional unallocated resources in the 2022-23 Communities Revenue Budget of £91,936 as of 30 June 2022. This includes a virement into Area Planning of £35,700 to offer increased cost of living support locally.

3          Members note the 0-19 budget award of £3,000 to 32 Huntley Avenue Children’s Home as described at 4.26 of the report.

4          Members agree to allocate £10,000 from the 0-19 budget to enable the strategic priority project for this year – Active Start for Early Years – as described at 4.27 of the report.

5          Members note the application from Eden Rural Foyer for the first £4,000 instalment of the 11-19 Universal Service allocation for Penrith as described at 4.28 of the report.

6          Members note the cost-of-living support allocations as described at 4.49 and 4.51 of the report.

7          Members decide whether to issue their support to the Inspiring Eden EnterpriseHub as described at 4.53 of the report.

8          Members note the area planning update in points 4.5 to 4.56 of the report.