Update by Councillor Gary Cooke, Deputy Cabinet Member for Education, Learning and Skills, KCC (Vice Chair, Maidstone Locality Board)

Update by Councillor Gary Cooke, Deputy Cabinet Member for Education, Learning and Skills, KCC (Vice Chair, Maidstone Locality Board)

GC introduced the item.  The priorities Focus Group met on 2 March, and agreed that the following priorities be recommended for approval by the MLB:

1.  Community Budgets

This important area of work was agreed as the MLB’s key work stream at its 20 January meeting.

2.  Tackling Worklessness

This meets both MBC and KCC corporate priorities to grow the local economy and ensure that residents have the skills and abilities to enter and remain in the workforce.  This priority has two themes:

(a) Youth employment

(b) Adult employment

3.  Tackling Poverty

This priority is clearly interlinked with Priorities 1 and 2, and to MBC corporate outcome (Residents are not disadvantaged because of where they live or who they are, vulnerable people are assisted and the level of deprivation is reduced), but also enables a more detailed focus on tackling poverty as it affects particular groups.  The priority will focus on three specific groups:

(a) Families with children under 5yrs

(b) Older people

(c) People with disabilities

4.  Local Environmental Improvements

This links to MBC’s corporate outcome (Is a clean and attractive environment for people who live in and visit the borough), and is vital to change residents perceptions of deprived areas of the Borough.  This priority will necessitate close working with housing associations operating in the area.

Discussion:

JT – Expressed support for the priorities.  He drew attention to the fact that several things were already in the pipeline e.g. Business Incubation Unit, Worklessness Forum.

MR – Supports all the priorities, in particular Priority 4.  MR drew attention to the high cost of travel into the town centre, and that more needs to be provided locally in the outlying areas.

IC – There is a need to improve local facilities e.g. Ringlestone.

CG – The recent Worklessness event was good, but there were few local employers and the business sector was under-represented

JT – Was very disappointed at the lack of employers at the event, and we need to think hard about how to engage with the sector.

CG – All the priorities are sensible, but we need to develop practical actions and solutions, with agreed joint actions with KCC and other partners.

JH – The priorities give rise to some key connections – Education performance in Kent, and improved links between education and the business sector.

GC – KCC is working hard to raise standards at KS2, so that pupils are secondary school ready.  The Future Schools Trust are keen to build job opportunities with the tertiary sector.

SB – Concerning employers – is there no employer contact at senior MBC officer level?  Apprenticeships, what do they mean now, do they suit employers?

ZC - Christmas recruitment is starting now, identifying young people through JC+ and Connexions, this would be an action to be taken forward.  We need to adopt at least one deliverable action per priority.

JAW – Also, young people were missing from the worklessness event.

SB – We must not forget that housing associations have large community/ neighbourhood budgets

GC – We still need to apply pressure to housing associations operating in the borough to employ local people and to ensure that housing associations’ community spend is maximised in Maidstone.

Agreed:

1. The Maidstone Locality Board adopts the four priorities, and associated themes of:

1. Community Budgets

2. Tackling Worklessness

(a) Adult

(b) Youth

3. Tackling Poverty

(a)Families with children under 5yrs

(b) Older persons

(c) Persons with disabilities

4. Environmental Improvements.

2. A second (and final) meeting of the Priorities Focus Group be arranged to refine objectives and actions and to develop a suitable set of actions.

3. Following the refinement of objectives and actions, the Locality Board approaches all housing associations operating in the borough to encourage them to make the best use of the local skills and when maintaining their properties to employ locally.