Agenda item

The Redditch Partnership Manager presented a report on the Redditch Sustainable Community Strategy (SCS). This update was provided to the Committee on an annual basis in response to a recommendation from a 2010 Task and Finish Group considering the Redditch Partnership. In the course of the presentation it was highlighted that;

·         The SCS set the priorities for the Redditch Partnership.

·         There were four priorities – health inequalities; educational attainment, school readiness and raising expectations of young people; the economy of Redditch with a focus on providing a larger and more diverse job offer and; lead on transformational change of services for citizens of Redditch.

·         There should be good information flow between the local level groups and the County level groups.

·         The Redditch Partnership Group had in collaboration with the Connecting Families Team agreed to focus on Mental Health. It would be challenging to focus on all priorities and the Group had been encouraged to focus on one.

·         Mental health data would be considered and key partners would be asked about communication and barriers to getting things done. The focus would be on preventative work.

·         The Redditch theme groups considered each area, with each meeting providing the opportunity for focussed presentations. At the last Economic Development Theme Group meeting for example information had been shared about the work of the Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership.

·         Redditch Community Wellbeing Trust worked with public health to refresh the Redditch Health profile. There was a focus on an asset based approach and building on what was positive.

·         In 2017 the assets in Redditch to improve community wellbeing, for example the voluntary groups and parks, had been mapped. This was a useful process and could be used to benchmark the current position and feed into the mental health work being undertaken by the Redditch Partnership Executive Group and Connecting Families; and taken into account when recommissioning services.

·         A Wellbeing Newsletter was produced and shared with all Councillors providing an update on projects and services. A directory of services across Bromsgrove and Redditch called the Knowledge Bank was also available with a searchable directory on the Council’s webpages. Partners were encouraged to update their details regularly.

Members’ queried which Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) the Council worked with and it was confirmed that the Council’s Leader and the Chief Executive had links with both the Great Birmingham and Solihull LEP and the Worcestershire LEP.

The Committee requested a copy of the Redditch Assets Report and it was explained that this was available on the Worcestershire County Council webpages.

It was queried if the work of the Mental Health Task Group would be considered by the Redditch Partnership Executive Group. The Redditch Partnership Manager confirmed that the findings had already been considered and she would bring anything further that may be of relevance to the Group’s attention.

RESOLVED that

1)    the progress update on the Redditch Community Strategy and the work of the Redditch Partnership be noted; and

2)    the Redditch Assets Report be circulated to Committee Members for information.