Agenda and minutes

An apology for absence was received from Councillor T Kearon.

There were no declarations of interest.

To consider the minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 2^nd December 2019

Resolved: that the minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 2nd December be confirmed as a correct record. 

Nothing to report.

The Leader of the Council confirmed that there were no items from the last meeting that required an update from Cabinet. 

To receive feedback from members of this committee who attended the meeting of the Healthy Staffordshire Select Committee

The Committee considered the regular Digest submitted by Staffordshire County Council. 

The issues around Bradwell Hospital had been raised with the County Council as requested by the Committee but timescales meant there was insufficient time to take any action.  A meeting organised by the Clinical Commissioning Group had been attended by a number of Committee members including the Vice Chair.  The result was that although the hospital would be losing bed provision a number of services and clinics would remain which meant there were some positive outcomes from the process. 

Resolved: that the Digest and update be received and noted. 

The Head of Operations presented a joint report prepared by himself and the Head of Leisure and Culture.  The report outlined options for undertaking scrutiny work on the topic of encouraging greater use of parks and green spaces to promote physical and mental health and wellbeing.

The report suggested 3 main strands for consideration:

-       To assess whether there were issues around physical and mental ill health in the Borough and if so, what was the scale of the issue;

-       Whether parks and green spaces were part of the solution;

-       Identifying whether there were any barriers to accessing parks and green spaces.

The report proposed setting up a Task and Finish Group to scope and investigate the topic and report back to the Committee with findings and recommendations.

In discussing the topic, a number of points were raised including:

·         Good practice at various parks was highlighted including cafes run by volunteers and community events such as Bonfire Night;

·         Being outdoors was seen as particularly beneficial for people with dementia;

·         Introducing small initiatives such as “happy to chat” benches could have a positive impact;

·         Perception was important and encouraging greater usage would help to promote spaces as available for all ages;

·         Was there a role to also address climate issues through tree planting schemes and initiatives such as “adopt a tree”;

·         Involving children in planting schemes would help to make the area a community space and could reduce the risk of anti-social behaviour; it was important that people felt safe when using parks and green spaces;

·         It was important to focus on smaller parks and green spaces as well as larger parks; the provision would vary between different facilities and community groups could be asked about the provision they would like to see in their area;

·         Ensure provision was wide ranging to include all groups and all ages;

·         Could the Council participate in “I Love Parks” week in July;

·         Physical access to parks needed to be considered including parking availability around parks and green spaces;

·         It was noted that the outdoor gym equipment was popular and well used;

·         Initiatives and funding opportunities could be explored including the Woodland Trust; Government funding for “Pocket Parks” and S106 monies;

·         There may be opportunities to engage with Keele University and Newcastle College in research or measuring success.

Resolved:  That a Task and Finish Group be established with the following membership – Councillor Burgess, Miss J Cooper, Gardner, Holland and Moffatt – and an initial meeting be held to agree the scope and terms of reference.

The Committee considered the Work Programme.  Councillor Gardner updated that following the presentation to the previous meeting regarding Domestic Abuse services she would be undertaking visits to facilities as had been offered. The presentation had referred to the White Ribbon campaign and it was hoped that the Council could achieve this status in the future.  Councillors Miss J Cooper and Moffatt agreed to work with Councillor Gardner on scrutinising Domestic Abuse services.

Members referred to CCTV provision and the Committee was informed that cameras were on order with delivery expected later in the month.  This initiative was part funded by the Newcastle Business Improvement District (BID). 

The Committee was informed that the Purple Flag initiative was being led by the BID with support from the Borough Council and agreed to have a report back on reaccreditation to a future meeting.

Members were informed of a change by West Midlands Ambulance Service as to how the Community First Responders scheme operated; this would come into effect on 1^st April 2020.   A motion on this issue was to be submitted to full Council on 1^st April 2020.

Resolved: that

(a)  A Task and Finish Group comprising Councillors Miss J Cooper, A Gardner and S Moffatt progress work on Domestic Abuse services and report back to a future meeting;

(b)  An update be made to the next meeting of the Committee on progress with CCTV installation; and

(c)  An update be made to the September meeting of the Committee on the Purple Flag scheme and reaccreditation.    

Any member of the public wishing to submit a question must serve two clear days’ notice, in writing, of any such question to the Borough Council.

There were no members of the public present.

There were no items of urgent business.