Issue - meetings

Report of the Assistant Chief Executive

1.      The work and achievements of the Forums and the Council’s engagement with them are welcomed and recognised.

2.      NBC services are to be encouraged to look to provide more opportunities for volunteers from the Forum networks (and otherwise) to liaise with them, work on projects etc. day to day to help work up design for services, policy etc. through involving service users.

3.      NBC services are to be encouraged to allow members of Forums networks the chance to be involved in training staff in customer service, mystery shopping etc, being able to give feedback on how they’ve been dealt with as service users and enabling staff to understand more about their needs.

4.      The long-term development of the Disabled Go access guide is supported.

Hayley Hall and Sinead Loftus, as members of the Council’s Youth Forum, then addressed Cabinet.  They described some of the activities of the Forum, including a two-day residential training session and work with the J-Trails element of the Council’s recent Heritage weekend.  They had also been involved with the Money 4 Youth project, which had engaged over 3,000 local young people.  They were planning to have facebook groups to update the public on heritage and other events that the Youth Forum was involved in.

Councillor Perkins congratulated the Youth Forum on the high quality of the J-Trails leaflet they had produced and Councillor Beardsworth thanked them, expressing her hope that some of them would go on to work in public office.

Chris Grethe addressed Cabinet as a member and past co-chair of the Disabled People’s Forum.  He praised the Neighbourhood Partnerships and Community Forums Co-ordinator for her hard work and asked that her funding could be maintained.  He then referred to the concessionary bus pass scheme for disabled and elderly people, asking for it to be widened to cover carers and journeys before 9.30am.  He requested that forum meetings be spread out more evenly throughout the year without such a large summer gap.

Councillor B Hoare reported on documents received from central Government indicating that there would not be any additional funding for concessionary fares.  The Council would be responding in due course.

Councillor Clarke addressed Cabinet and praised the successes of the forums and the officers who supported them. He supported the report’s call to encourage further engagement with departments and to use the forums more constructively.  He saw the importance of taking on board the views of forum members and urged the Council to take the recommendations seriously so that the work of the forums could be taken to the next level.

Councillor Mildren addressed Cabinet, declaring his interest in the forums as a disabled person and pensioner.  He felt it was important to give forum members the opportunity to have a voice. On the assumption that Councillors were entitled to attend any forum meeting, Councillor Mildren expressed surprise that there was not more interaction so that Councillors could become more aware of community concerns

Councillor PD Varnsverry, as the Portfolio Holder for Community Engagement, was delighted to present the report to Cabinet.  He stated that the forums were vital as a means for the views of hard to reach groups to be recognised.  The work of the forums had helped towards the Council’s Level 3 Equalities Standard and its successful bid for a Customer Excellence award.  Other Councils had recognised the work as an example of excellent practice.  He pointed out that Councillors became involved as co-chairs, although the forums were self-run under Lindsey Ambrose’s guidance. Councillor PD Varnsverry then drew Cabinet’s attention to the recommendations, particularly in the encouragement of more interaction and team working between forum members and council departments in the areas of volunteering and mystery shopping.

Councillor Church commented on his involvement as  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10