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MINUTES OF THE MAIDSTONE LOCALITY BOARD
20 January 2012, 1.30 – 3.30 PM, BRENCHLEY ROOM, MAIDSTONE MUSEUM
Present: |
Cllr Chris Garland (CG)
Cllr Gary Cooke (GC)
Cllr John A Wilson (JAW)
Cllr Marion Ring (MR) Cllr Eric Hotson (EH)
Cllr Fran Wilson (FW) Cllr Stephen Beerling (SB) Cllr Mike Fitzgerald (MF) Cllr Derek Mortimer (DM)
Cllr Jenny Whittle (JW)
Cllr Alan Chell (AC) Cllr Ian Chittenden (IC) Cllr Malcolm Robertson (MR) Cllr Dan Daley (DD) Cllr Pauline Stockell (PS) Cllr Mike Hill (MH)
Martin Adams (MA)
Jay Edwins (JE) Charlotte Osborne-Forde (COF) John Taylor (JT)
Adrian Futers (AF)
Alison Broom (AB) Zena Cooke (ZC) John Littlemore (JL) Abi Jessop (AJ)
Keith Abbot (KA) Duncan Bruce (DB) Christine Henderson (CH) |
Leader of Maidstone Borough Council (MBC), and Chair of the Maidstone Locality Board Deputy Cabinet Member for Education, Learning and Skills, Maidstone South East Division, KCC, and Vice Chair Cabinet Member for Community Services and Leisure, MBC Cabinet Member for Environment, MBC Cabinet Member for Corporate Services, MBC and Conservative (Maidstone Rural South), KCC Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group, MBC Liberal Democrat Councillor, Fant Ward, MBC Spokesperson for the Independents, MBC Shadow Cabinet Member, Communities and Leisure, MBC Cabinet Member for Specialist Children’s Services, Maidstone Rural East Division, KCC Maidstone South Division, KCC Maidstone North East Division, KCC Maidstone Central Division, KCC
Maidstone Central Division, KCC Maidstone Rural West Division, MBC Cabinet Member for Customer and Communities, KCC (for Item 4) Area Manager, Kent Fire & Rescue Service, Chair of Safer Maidstone Partnership Head of Strategic Partnerships, NHS West Kent Chief Executive, Voluntary Action Maidstone
Director of Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce and Chair of Economic Development and Regeneration Delivery Group Chief Inspector Maidstone Area, Kent Police (for Chief Supt. Matthew Nix) Chief Executive, MBC Director of Regeneration & Communities, MBC Head of Housing and Community Services, MBC Community Engagement Officer for Maidstone, KCC Director for School Resources, KCC Community Partnerships Officer, MBC Community Partnerships Support Officer, MBC |
Apologies: |
Cllr Paul Carter Cllr Malcolm Greer
Matthew Nix Sarah Robson |
KCC Leader, Maidstone Rural North Division Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Transport, MBC Chief Superintendent, Mid Kent Police Community Partnerships Manager, MBC |
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MINUTES |
1. |
Welcome by the Chair Cllr Chris Garland, Leader of Maidstone Borough Council
1.1 Cllr Garland welcomed everyone present to the first formal meeting of the Maidstone Locality Board.
1.2 Apologies for absence As listed above
1.3 Minutes of the last meeting 18 November 2011 Agreed as a true record
1.4 Matters and Actions Arising
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2. |
Board arrangements Cllr Chris Garland, Leader of Maidstone Borough Council and Cllr Gary Cooke, Deputy Cabinet Member for Education, Learning and Skills, Kent County Council and Vice Chair of Maidstone Locality Board
Discussion:
Agreed:
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MINUTES |
3. |
Locality Board priorities - presentation Zena Cooke, Director of Regeneration and Communities and John Littlemore, Head of Housing and Community Services
Discussion: GC - Recreational drugs are too commonplace and should be re-classified AF - Drug crimes are largely Police generated ie if the Police carry out more raids, they find more wrong doing FW – Teenage mothers who self-exclude themselves from school are an issue – need to understand this better GC – Agreed that school exclusions are too high in Kent, and that educational achievement is a clear priority. In Kent, achievement at KS1 is good, is comparatively lower at KS2, and under performing at KS4. MR – Raising standards in schools is an immediate need, cannot wait, cannot let down the present generation, need a wider range of educational courses, settings, qualifications. GC – ‘Home education’ is the easy way out for schools who want to avoid exclusions. CG – Joint MBC/KCC Information dashboard to identify the top level of information to show progress JW – KCC £3m fund, the Board could make an application. Tackling worklessness will be a long term commitment, especially given the raising of school leaving age to 18 in 3 years time. We need to boost our tourist attractions, much potential employment FW – There is no quick-fix, we need to unlock a complex jig-saw MR – Must tackle the problem of low pay and dependence on in-work benefits DD – Everything needs money and many problems are intractable SB – Given the squeeze on resources, all organisations are fighting for the same funding streams MA – Sees much benefit in focussing on a selected number of wards. KFRS keen to engage in the worklessness agenda. Realistically, when looking at measurable outcomes, success may mean that things do not worsen CO-F – Many voluntary groups contribute to the worklessness agenda, but most of them are large organisations who have won large government contracts. Other smaller voluntary groups have worklessness as a ’side benefit’, what is needed is to involve smaller voluntary groups. FW – The housing Allocations Policy has the effect of attracting the poorest families to Maidstone.
Agreed: 1. The Maidstone Locality Boards overarching priority is to be Tackling Worklessness, with a particular emphasis on Youth Unemployment
· Review current information · Agree and Adopt Priorities · Develop an information dashboard · Review existing delivery mechanisms · Review and Update Action Plans · Produce Year End Performance report
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4. |
Youth Service update and Strategic Commissioning Plans Cllr Mike Hill, Cabinet Member for Customer and Communities, Kent County Council
4.1 Kent Youth Service The new youth service model comprises two key elements:
The consultation on the new model has finished, and some changes to the policy have been made as a result. The response to the consultation was encouraging, and there were concerns around the hub model – principally about buildings, how far children will have to travel, and whether the voluntary sector has the capacity to provide an adequate market response i.e. ‘pick up the slack’. Although the hub/commissioning model is decided, the exact shape of youth services in Maidstone is being developed and will come before this Board. The new service will be launched 1/1/2013.
Discussion: MF – How willing are the voluntary sector to be commissioned? DD – What is the shape of youth services in Maidstone? MH – Do not know shape only know size IC – Is this the wrong time to be cutting youth provision, given youth unemployment etc? CO-F – With the forthcoming changes, what is needed is diversity of provision, a simple bidding process, and opening contracts up to all sizes of organisation.
4.2 Library Service
Discussion: Board members thanked MH for coming to the Board as early as possible in the process and for pledging that no libraries would close. There was agreement as to the need to make better use of the library estate and to look at innovative local provision options.
4.3 Youth Unemployment £2 million identified by KCC to fund apprenticeships and internships for 18 months
Discussion: MR - Where are the cuts falling? Which wards? How much is spent on youth services in Maidstone What is the level of cuts?
Agreed:
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5. |
Any Other Business Local Children’s Trust ‘Help a Maidstone Child’ fund (paper attached) Supporting children and families in Maidstone
Agreed: The Locality Board endorsed The Help a Maidstone Child fund.
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6. |
InLAWS Project (paper attached) Maidstone Integrated Local Area Workforce Strategy
Agreed: The Locality Board endorsed support for the InLAWS project.
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7. |
Community Engagement and Neighbourhood Forums (paper attached) Zena Cooke, Director of Regeneration and Communities, Maidstone Borough Council and Steve Charman, Head of Community Engagement, Kent County Council
Agreed: The Locality Board endorsed the abolition of Neighbourhood Forums, and for the Locality Board to seek to establish the most appropriate Community Engagement approach to replace the Neighbourhood forums, taking account of best practice.
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MINUTES |
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Future Meetings Date, time and venue of special meeting to discuss Youth Service changes to be agreed and circulated
Dates of 2012 Agenda and Full Board meetings to be agreed and circulated.
Meeting ended 15.20.
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