Agenda item

A report by Sarah Robson, Community Partnership Manager and Sarah Shearsmith, Community Development Team Leader.

Sarah Shearsmith, Community Development Team Leader, presented the report and outlined the main achievements to date under each of the six priorities.

During discussion the committee raised the following points:

·  Concern was raised as to whether the moving of the library to an out of town site had impacted on residents and encouraging children to read.

·  It was confirmed older people were involved in helping younger people to read through the Beanstalk group.  The group trained people to go into schools and assisted with children’s reading.

·  Maidstone Borough Council were not currently doing any work to promote minimum unit pricing for alcohol.

·  The initiatives described in the report were all successful.  Some health and wellbeing initiatives in the past had not been particularly successful but information was not readily available at the meeting.

·  The smoking statistics shown of page 163 of the agenda did not include people who used ‘e-cigarettes’.

·  Referrals to the initiatives outlined in the report were received from local GPs, pharmacies other agencies and self-referrals.

·  Maidstone Borough Council had teamed up with Tunbridge Wells and Swale Borough Councils to deliver the Kent Healthy Business Awards across mid Kent.  So far 10 businesses in Maidstone; 2 in Swale and 4 in Tunbridge Wells had taken up the initiative.  The initiative would run for one year and was led by Paul Kirrage.

·  The Health MOT Roadshow was currently on Jubilee Square in Maidstone.  It was agree residents would find a list of dates and venues useful for where and when the roadshow would be held.

·  It was agreed it would be useful to have information on the number and location of foodbanks in Maidstone borough.

·  Although the report stated 231 registered for the Big Switch and 85% of them would save money, it was agreed it would be interesting to establish how many of those actually changed suppliers.

·  Although the Walking for Health initiative looked to be successful, it was suggested it could be better publicised to agencies who refer clients to it.

·  It was further reported a series of cycling forums were being established in the borough to promote the use of bicycles as a sustainable form of transport.

·  It was reported that sustainable weight loss was more successful if the initiative included support for clients on a longer term basis – for example 12 to 18 months.

·  Dementia Awareness training was arranged for local businesses on 21 January 2015 at Maidstone Museum.  Details of times offered would be circulated.

·  A request had been made to include awareness of the issues and difficulties sufferers of dementia have to deal with on a daily basis and how to identify and assist sufferers when the present themselves in shops and businesses etc.

·  It was confirmed Kent County Council (KCC) would grant Maidstone Borough Council (MBC) £90,000 to deliver a healthy weight initiative.

·  It was confirmed that when granting funding KCC gave MBC direction on the initiatives the money should be spent on.  MBC aimed to add value to initiatives already in place.

·  The committee congratulated the team on their results and thanked them for their hard work in achieving them.

RESOLVED: that the committee noted the annual refresh of the Health Inequalities Action Plan and recommended:

a.  The Community Development Team Leader investigate the impact the move of the library to its new location has had on residents;

b.  The Community Development Team Leader provide information to residents on where and when the Health MOT Roadshow will be during 2015;

c.  The Community Development Team Leader establish how many food banks are in operation in the Maidstone borough;

d.  The Community Development Team Leader investigate how many residents who registered with the Big Switch campaign actually switched providers.