Agenda item

Update by SBC Director Resilient Communities and Communities & Partnership Manager.  (Discussion paper and appendix attached)

3.1       With reference to paragraph 3 of the Minute of 3 March 2022, copies of a discussion paper on the Community Planning Partnership (CPP) review and an Improvement Plan had been circulated.  SBC Director Resilient Communities, Mrs J. Craig, gave a presentation on progress:

• The CPP Improvement Plan had been approved at the meeting on 3 March 2022.  There were 3 main areas of action:  prioritise, governance and performance.  It was also agreed that a Task Group be formed to progress this Plan. 
• The Task Group membership included a range of partners and had now met 3 times. 
• Improvement Plan Action 1 (Prioritise):  there was a need to refresh the Community Plan to account for the significant changes in the operating landscape as a result of the pandemic.  A rapid review of the existing Community Plan was to be undertaken to reduce this to a few key priorities.  This would require a strong community engagement piece of work and a clear framework for discussion.
• Existing Community Plan (4 themes with 15 outcomes) – during Covid this was extended to 7 themes and many action levels.  As the full impact of the pandemic was not yet known, the Task Group would focus on the emerging cost of living crisis; climate emergency; lack of up to date national statistics; and the responses to the public survey.  There was a proposal to modify and rename the Key Priorities Action Plan to an interim CPP Work Plan to address the current shift in the strategic context for the Borders, the current known impact and effects of the pandemic, and the cost of living crisis, particularly in relation to the increased risk of poverty and inequality.  In parallel, the Group would plan and agree the preparatory work required to undertake a review of the current Community Plan during 2023/24, establishing a strong evidence base to support any proposed changes.
• Proposed CPP Work Plan Themes – the four themes were proposed as:  Enough money to live on; access to work, learning and training; enjoying good health and wellbeing; and a good place to grow up and live in.  There would not be the only areas for the CPP to look at as there would be other matters for the CPP to consider, but this was about the CPP coming together over the next year to work collectively as well as individually in supporting communities.  Members welcomed the themes and the planned way forward.
• Proposals from the Task Group – details were given on the thematic sub-groups, with each chaired by a partner with relevant specialist knowledge, and update reports coming forward to the quarterly Programme and Strategic Boards.  Themes would be worked on by more than one sub-group as there were various aspects to each theme.  It was anticipated that a detailed progress report on each theme would be presented once per year. 

3.2       Members considered a number of aspects relating to the themes, including the role of the Third Sector and trying to ensure there were no gaps in progressing work on the themes.  In terms of next steps, the Task Group would continue to develop the CPP Improvement Plan and develop a CPP Work Plan, along with a governance structure and performance framework which would reflect the Work Plan.  A timetable would be developed and preparation work undertaken by the Task Group over the summer to set out the required resources, key actions, strategic assessment and milestones that were needed to refresh the Community Plan during 2023/24.  A further report would be brought to the Strategic Board at its next meeting.  Members then discussed how to get the message of the work that was being undertaken by the CPP out to the community.  The CPP was not as visible as it could be and in resetting priorities this was an opportunity to re-engage and communicate more with communities.  The various partner organisations’ communications teams could work together on a better way of getting the message out.  This could make use of village coffee mornings, pop up hubs within communities, community newsletters, etc. to ensure that all communities were reached.   

DECISION

(a)     AGREED:

(i)      the revised themes and priorities detailed in section 4 of the report which reflected the findings of the CPP Task Group work to date (including the key priorities that were emerging from the public survey); and

(ii)     that a draft Work Plan would be developed over the summer for consideration by the CPP Programme Board in August 2022 before being presented for approval to the Strategic Board in September 2022. 

(b)     NOTED:

(i)      that a further report on a CPP governance structure and performance framework which reflected the Work Plan would also be considered by the CPP Programme Board in August 2022 before being presented for approval to the Strategic Board in September 2022;

(ii)     that in parallel to the Work Plan, a full review of the current Community Plan was being proposed to be undertaken in 2023/24, including a refreshed Strategic Assessment and the Health Needs Strategic Assessment, which would provide an evidence base for future changes to the Community Plan; and

(iii)    that this could/would require formal agreement of individual partners through their own governance arrangements.