Agenda item

Update by SBC Director Resilient Communities and Communities & Partnership Manager. 

The following documents are attached:

• Report on Improvement Plan Update
• Appendix A – CPP Improvement Plan
• Appendix B – CPP Work Plan
• Appendix C – Priorities for the Scottish Borders – Consultation report
• Appendix D – CPP Landscape

3.1       With reference to paragraph 3 of the Minute of 16 June 2022, copies of an update paper on the Community Planning Partnership (CPP) Task Group Improvement Plan had been circulated.  SBC Director Resilient Communities, Mrs Jenni Craig, gave a presentation on an update on the Improvement Plan, highlighting its key points:

·         The Community Planning Strategic Board agreed the CPP Improvement Plan on 3 March 2022 with three main areas of action: prioritise, governance and performance, and it was agreed a CPP Task Group be formed to progress the plan.

·         The Task Group had met to look to refresh the Community Plan (LOIP) to account for significant changes in the operating landscape as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic including a rapid review of the existing community plan and reduce it to a few key, manageable priorities, a strong community engagement piece needed with communities and for a clear framework for discussion for community engagement.

·         The Strategic Board had agreed four themes on 16 June 2022: enough money to live on; access to work, learning and training; enjoying good health and wellbeing; a good place to grow up, live in and enjoy a full life.  The Task Group was asked to draft a work plan with key priorities and what actions needed to be taken to achieve positive outcomes for communities in the Borders.

·         The Task Group noted that a further report on a CPP governance structure and performance framework which reflected the Work Plan should also be considered by the Joint Programme Board in August 2022 and onwards for approval to the Strategic Board in September 2022; that in parallel to the Work Plan, a full review of the Community Plan would be undertaken in 2023-24; and that this could require formal agreement of individual partners through their own governance arrangements.

·         The Task Group met on 5 July, 2 August and 6 September to consider key priorities, the public consultation and what actions needed to be taken.  While the public consultation was not significant in numbers, it gave early indication of what was important to communities: making sure everyone had enough money to live on; feeling well – both physical and mentally; and increasing the range and availability of sustainable transport/creating better employment opportunities.  This was in alignment to the four themes that the Strategic Board had agreed, but it was recognised that further community engagement would be required in order to ensure a ‘bottom up’ approach when refreshing the Community Plan.

·         The themes and leads for each were discussed and the Task Group agreed that they would be: Theme 1 – Enough Money to Live On, a focus on the current cost of living crisis and community wealth building, lead – Scottish Borders Council; Theme 2 – Access to Work, Learning and Training, sharing data more effectively to identify gaps in education, employment and training, lead – to be confirmed, lead - Skills Development Scotland/Scottish Borders Council; Theme 3 – Enjoying Good Health and Wellbeing, a commitment to health in all policies was proposed, with partners acting as champions to reduce health inequalities, lead – Public Health; Theme 4 – A Good Place to Grow Up, Live in and Enjoy a Full Life, a commitment to the Climate change Route Map, increasing the range of sustainable and greener transport, supporting Place Making and enhancing referral pathways to support early intervention and prevention, lead – Police Scotland.

·         12-month CPP Work Plan – the short-life Work Plan enabled work to be undertaken in a timely manner in relation to the actions within it.  The Work Plan gave an opportunity to respond to emerging issues in a more flexible and efficient way.  It also allowed other work that was taking place in parallel to be taken into consideration, including The Promise, Place Making and the creation of local Place Plans, IJB Health Needs Assessment and Review of Area Partnerships.  Furthermore, the Work Plan gave an opportunity for medium to longer-term requirements to be developed for the refreshment of the Community Plan.

·         Next steps for the CPP Task Group – the Task Group would continue to meet on a monthly basis to progress the CPP Improvement Plan: Item 1 – progressing the actions within the Work Plan (a timetable which set out required project resources, key actions, strategic assessments, community engagement and milestones to enable the refresh of the CPP Community Plan); Item 2 – CPP Governance and Structure including the delivery landscape and the relationship of Area Partnerships to the Community Planning Partnership; Item 3 – CPP Performance Framework including standard reporting mechanisms for the four themes.

CHAIR
Councillor Cochrane joined the meeting at 2.30 pm and assumed the Chair.

3.2       In discussion of the contents of the report, Ms Karen Hamilton advised that Dr Sohail Bhatti had been appointed Public Health Director at NHS Borders and may be involved in public health-related work in the Work Plan.  Community empowerment in decision-making was considered as a possible theme and would be reflected upon as part of the governance theme.

DECISION

(a)       AGREED the draft Work Plan detailed at Section 4 which presented the key priorities and actions for the partnership over the next 12 months;

(b)       NOTED:

(i)        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;

(ii)       the further actions and timetable requirements within the draft Work Plan in relation to the CPP Structure and Performance Framework; and,

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