Agenda item

To consider the latest update on the Redditch Sustainable Community Strategy.

(Report attached)

Officers provided Members with background information as to why the Committee received updates on the Sustainable Community Strategy and the Partnership.  During delivery of this presentation the following areas were covered:

·         The current Sustainable Community Strategy which had been in place since March 2011 and was due to run out at the end of 2014.

·         The partners and the overall structure of the Partnership. The partnership’s board had recently been reconfigured and was now know as Redditch Partnership Executive Group.

·         The four key priorities and the three issues which would be focused on within those key priorities.

·         The Redditch Community Wellbeing Trust and their role in overseeing the Redditch Health and Wellbeing Plan.

Following the presentation of the report concerns were raised as to how some of the priorities and the success of the work carried out in respect of those priorities, could be measured.  Members referred in particular to Priority One – Health inequalities and the focus on smoking, alcohol and obesity/healthy lifestyles and difficulties ascertaining whether any work that was carried out to address these problems was making a difference.  Councillor Potter, as Chair of the Tackling Obesity Task Group, commented that this was something which the Task Group had already raised and would consider further during the review.  Officers confirmed that whilst this was a problem which needed to be addressed within the health profile work which was being carried out, results did not happen overnight and the work towards healthy lifestyles needed to be undertaken, even if it was not currently measurable.

The committee discussed opportunities for elected Members to engage more actively with the work of the partnership.  It was acknowledged that this was an area where further progress could be made.  Members noted that the minutes from the Partnership Board’s meetings had, at one time been appended to the full Council agenda in order to raise awareness with all Members of the role of the Redditch Partnership and to enable them to raise and questions about the work being carried out.  The Committee suggested that this should be revisited.

RECOMMENDED that

the minutes of the Redditch Partnership Executive Group and Redditch Community Wellbeing Trust be appended to the Council agenda.