Issue - meetings

Report of the Assistant Director of Scrutiny and Democratic Services attached.

RESOLVED (Unanimously):

1.    Cabinet approves the undertaking of a strategic review of community involvement, including the My Neighbourhoods Forums.

2.    Cabinet approves the establishment of a cross party working group to undertake the strategic review that will present its findings to Cabinet in January 2020.

The Cabinet Member (Community Engagement, Social Justice and Wealth Building), Councillor Aniela Bylinski Gelder presented a report of the Assistant Director of Scrutiny and Democratic Services that outlined the Cabinet’s desire to strengthen and enhance community involvement in the way the Council is run as part of creating a new Community Engagement, Social Justice and Wealth Building Cabinet portfolio.

The report also informed that a strategic review of community involvement would be undertaken that would include the My Neighbourhood arrangements, by a cross-party Member working group that would report back to Cabinet in January 2020.

The review would look at best practice from other authorities, such as Preston and Wigan, consult with all key partners, residents, members and parish councils to develop a plan with clear objectives.

The review was a key priority for the new administration and the Leader urged everyone to get involved.

Although the review was welcomed by many Councillors across the Council there was some concerns voiced about the recent changes to the boundaries of the My Neighbourhoods, with some Members in the audience, sharing a view that it would have been better to have waited until the review was complete.

The membership of the cross-party working group would be made up of nominations from the Group Leaders based on two Members from the Labour Group, two Members from the Conservative Group and one Member from the Liberal Democrat Group with appropriate officer support.

The Member Working Group would be chaired by the Cabinet Member (Community Engagement, Social Justice and Wealth Building).

It was proposed by Councillor Aniela Bylinski Gelder, seconded by Councillor Paul Foster, and

Decision made (Unanimously):

1.    Cabinet approves the undertaking of a strategic review of community involvement, including the My Neighbourhoods Forums.

2.    Cabinet approves the establishment of a cross party working group to undertake the strategic review that will present its findings to Cabinet in January 2020.

Reason(s) for the decision:

To help ensure that the Council achieves its vision of being a council that is recognised as being innovative, forward thinking and financially self-sufficient, whilst putting people at the heart of everything we do it is important that our community is involved in the way the Council is run.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:

An alternative option that has been considered is not to carry out a review. However, this has been rejected as it would not achieve the desire of the Cabinet or enhance our community involvement activities.