REPORT OF:
CHIEF EXECUTIVE
AUTHORS:
MARGARET QUINE/SIMON BLAND
TELEPHONE:
01737 276023/276303
E-MAIL:
[email protected]
[email protected]
TO:
EXECUTIVE
DATE:
3RD MARCH, 2005
EXECUTIVE MEMBER:
COUNCILLOR J.B.P. JONES
AGENDA ITEM NO:
WARD(S) AFFECTED:
7
KEY DECISION REQUIRED:
NO
ALL
SUBJECT:
LOCAL
COMMUNITY
ACTION
PLAN
FOR
WOODHATCH, SOUTH PARK AND MEADVALE &
ST JOHN’S
PURPOSE OF THE REPORT:
TO REVIEW THE COMMUNITY LIAISON PROCESS
AND ENDORSE THE FIRST LOCAL COMMUNITY
ACTION PLAN
RECOMMENDATIONS:
1.
To note the progress of the pilot Community Liaison activity;
2.
To agree to have regard to the South Park, Woodhatch and Meadvale LCAP
in future planning and budget setting;
3.
To agree the principle of roll out of the LCAP process and the development
of LCAPs across the Borough as set out in the submitted report
Executive has authority to determine the above recommendations.
Background
1.
Following the introduction of Executive arrangements and as part of the
management review in 2002 the Council agreed to establish a Community Liaison
Team to work with Members to develop Local Community Action Plans (LCAPs)
based on widespread collection, dissemination and analysis of evidence based
material. The activity was intended to provide support for Members in their
community leadership role through the community planning process at a local level,
to inform service improvement and the Council’s future corporate and service
planning.
2.
This report outlines the process of developing community liaison activity to date and
seeks endorsement for the first LCAP covering South Park, Woodhatch and Mead
Vale. The successes and difficulties experienced are discussed and proposals are
submitted to roll out the process across the whole of the Borough.
Pilot LCAP selection
3.
The geographical areas for Pilot activity were selected on an area basis at Member
workshops. The regeneration areas and town centres were excluded from
consideration, and the following were selected:
North

Hooley & Netherne
Central
 South Park, Woodhatch and Meadvale
South
 Court Lodge – Riverside
LCAP process
4.
The process of developing LCAPs followed five principal phases of activity.
Initial issue
identification
To gain an understanding of the issues being faced by
each selected community
Developing community
reach and information
gathering
To establish and develop as wide a range of contacts
and relationships within the community in question with
the aim of forming a ‘representative’ network, and to
gather as much information as possible from the
community as to their perception of local issues.
Issue confirmation
with Pilot Member(s)
Analysis of all available information by the Community
Liaison Officers and Pilot Member(s) to identify themes
and trends. This allows a prioritisation of issues, with
those being of greatest concern to the community taken
forward to the next phase.
Further research and
consensus
During this phase the assumptions formed during the
confirmation phase are presented back to the
community for validation or amendment. Responsible
service providers are engaged in the process to gain an
understanding of their views and plans, and possible
solutions to accepted issues are developed.
Local Community
Action Plan
Towards the latter stages of the consensus phase a
draft LCAP is developed and presented back to the
community and relevant service providers.
This
document provides a background to the identification of
each issue, specific information regarding its nature,
extent
and
location,
proposed
actions
and
responsibilities, resource requirements and proposed
timescales and outcomes and measures. Feedback
received helps to further clarify issues to be addressed
and to identify appropriate actions and responsibilities
LCAP format
5.
The LCAP is intended to be a public facing document, easily understood by the
community in question. As such it is presented in as simple a format as possible
with clear and concise information. The guidance of the Communication Manager
will be sought before final publication to ensure adherence to standards for Plain
English and Corporate branding. The LCAP contains a brief overview of the area
followed by detail of each issue to be addressed. When relevant mapping
information is included to provide a clearer understanding of the issue. It is
intended that the LCAP will be predominantly a web-based document with a limited
number of paper-based copies produced and made available. The evidence
gathered during the community liaison process will be presented as a separate
document and again predominantly web-based. It is anticipated that in future all
LCAPs will follow a similar format and that the information used to develop them will
be available on the intranet to support service improvement and planning.
South Park, Woodhatch and Meadvale LCAP
(a)
LCAP
Issues within the LCAP for South Park, Woodhatch and Meadvale have been
identified through a range of sources and activities. There has been close liaison
with the local neighbourhood forum, Residents Associations, the Police Community
Neighbourhood Consultative Committee.
A stakeholder forum was also
established. One to one interviews, a telephone survey, workshop activity and a
questionnaire were carried out. The draft LCAP was also presented back to the
community for validation at a community workshop.
The LCAP for South Park, Woodhatch and Meadevale is attached as Annex 1
(b)
Bids arising from the LCAP
A number of bids have been developed to support actions within the LCAP. The
indicative costings are shown below:
Issue to be
addressed
Parking and
traffic flow in
local shopping
parades.
Sense of
identity and
place.
Speeding on
local roads.
Lack of facilities
/ opportunities
for young
people.
Lack of facilities
Action
Commission a feasibility study
to look at ways to improve
traffic flow and parking
problems associated with the
shopping parades.
Assist traders to pay for the
repair of the clock in Western
Parade.
Purchase a speed gun to
improve enforcement.
Match fund the Sovereign
Youth Centre to pay for skate
park facilities.
Co-fund Surrey Community
Amount
requested
£
0
Total project
value
£
10,000 (section
106)
1,800
3,500
2,500
5,500
6,000
12,000
12,000
26,000
Issue to be
addressed
/ opportunities
for young
people.
Anti-social
behaviour.
Action
Amount
requested
£
Total project
value
£
3,500
23,000
25,800
80,000
Leadership Awards / Youth
Development Service / Youth
Centre and S.C.C. Member
allowance to pay for
coaching using existing
facilities at the Sovereign
Youth Centre.
To contribute to the
establishment of a Shop and
Pub Watch scheme in the pilot
area and Reigate.
The authority for bid approval has been delegated to the Chief Executive in
consultation with the Leader of the Council and the above bids will be submitted for
determination shortly.
Progress of other pilot areas
6.
Pilot activity to the north of the borough is running slightly behind that in South Park,
Woodhatch and Meadvale. Two LCAPs are in early draft stage. One each for
Hooley and Netherne. It became apparent early in the process that the two
communities could not be considered together having significantly different types of
communities and issues.
7.
Pilot activity in the Horley area is following a different process in that, at the request
of local Members, it is considering the single issue of youth anti-social behaviour.
As such the focus is to a greater extent on the Borough Council taking a leadership
role in developing a partnership approach to addressing the issues. It is anticipated
that an action plan will be developed in the near future to address crime and
disorder issues, and that bids will flow from this to support local initiatives. The
Police Authority has shown interest in participating in this project as part of their
reassurance initiative and discussions are taking place to resolve how this can be
taken forward.
Review Issues and Considerations
8.
Having substantially completed the pilot phase of community liaison activity and
being at the point of producing the first LCAPs it is now appropriate to review the
process, and build upon lessons learnt, before it is rolled out across the Borough as
a whole. There are a number of general issues regarding the process that should
be clarified to ensure more efficient implementation in future.
8.1
Clarity of purpose / roles of Community Liaison Officers
There has been a degree of tension between the functions of providing support to
Members and the collecting of evidence to support service improvement and
planning. The experience gained during the pilot phase will help to clarify this
situation, and the proposed roll out schedule will ensure that the Community Liaison
Officers are more accessible to Members across the Borough as a whole.
8.2
Level of Member involvement in pilot activity
The amount of time available to Members to participate in the process obviously
varies from Member to Member. A mechanism should be established that ensures
appropriate Member control of the process with a minimal time contribution, but also
allows for Members to as active a role in the process as they wish subject to their
availability.
8.3
Area Panel process.
The Area Panel process was not well supported. This involved holding regular
meetings for area Members to provide information on pilot progress and seek
feedback from them on progress and recommendations for further action.
Its
ongoing value should be considered, but Officers recommend that this element
should not be taken forward.
8.4
‘Fit for purpose’ or nth degree of community liaison activity.
Because of the relatively small scale of community liaison areas the outcomes
could be challenged as being statistically insignificant. However the findings from
community liaison are cross-referenced to other sources of information and
consultation outcomes. The process is also more thorough than other research
methods commonly used and has greater levels of contribution at a grass roots
level. It is considered that Ward Members, with their extensive local knowledge, are
ideally placed to judge on the sufficiency and range of research and consultation
undertaken to support the production of LCAPs that are fit for purpose.
8.5
Phasing
The contribution to the evidence base to inform corporate planning has been
recognised as a major outcome of community liaison activity. However, because of
the importance of community engagement and thorough research and the need to
demonstrate change at a community level within short timescales, it is not
practicable to tie the community liaison to the corporate planning cycle. Rather the
cumulative outcomes of community liaison to date should be used as an evidence
base to support and inform this process. This is not seen as major issue.
8.6
LCAP review period / process.
It is anticipated that the community liaison process will be able to be implemented
across the Borough as a whole on approximately a three-year cycle. This would
result in each LCAP being reviewed and amended to these timescales.
8.7
Production of useful evidence to support service improvement and corporate
planning.
It is considered that the pilot phase has produced useful information and has
contributed to the priority setting process. Amongst service improvements already
introduced as a result of community liaison activity are the introduction of the
Buses4u service at Netherne, improved leisure facility maintenance to facilitate
local youth activity and the establishment of youth provision in Hooley.
8.8
Extent of Service involvement and contribution to the Change Programme.
The opportunity that the community liaison process, and the development of LCAPs
presents in supporting the Change Programme ‘Customer first’ should be
maximised as the process is rolled forward. This can be achieved by involving
service teams in dialogue with communities as part of the process of considering
service improvement.
8.9
Exiting pilot areas – monitoring role and responsibility
Actions with in LCAPs should be picked up within the Borough Council’s service
planning process and as such fall within standard performance management
systems.
However many actions are the responsibility of other providers.
Reporting mechanisms are prescribed with the LCAP but these will need to be
monitored on an on-going basis.
8.10
Report back mechanism for Members
It is recommended that local Members take an active role in gaining feedback from
the community in terms of the overall impact of delivery of the LCAP, rather than at
individual action level. It is accepted that implementation of actions within the LCAP
may not resolve the issue in question, addressing symptoms not causes. This
learning should be captured to further enhance service development and
improvement.
8.11
Roll out to other areas
It is considered important to roll the community liaison process out across the
Borough as a whole as quickly as is practicable. From the pilot phase it is
recognised that to be most effective community liaison activity should be
undertaken within ‘natural’ communities. This approach should be balanced by
working at a scale that is meaningful to other service providers and would
encourage them to review their services to better meet residents’ needs. As such it
is proposed that each Community Liaison Officer develop three LCAPs each year in
contiguous areas.
This would result in coverage of the Borough on an,
approximate, three year rolling programme. It is envisaged that Members would
determine this process on an area basis through workshop activity.
Preston, Merstham and Town Centres
9.
Currently these areas are outside the scope of LCAP activity as they are covered by
separate initiatives with their own processes. However, as area based plans they
sit alongside and have relationships with the wider catchment areas.
Resource Implications
10.
The Council has allocated £90,000 to pump prime community liaison activity and it
is anticipated that bids amounting to £35,800 will be approved under delegated
powers arising from this pilot LCAPs. In future LCAPs will produce bids that will
need to be considered in the context of the Council’s priorities and other bids for
growth as part of the budget process. As the Council becomes more sophisticated
in terms of linking its budgets to priorities and disinvesting in non- priorities capacity
should be created to fund schemes that are community led. LCAPs should also be
able to access other established sources of funding e.g. Section 106 monies,
Streetcare discretionary budgets, grants etc.
11.
A key principle of the community liaison process is to assist in the development of
self –reliant communities and therefore as part of the LCAP process residents and
community groups will be encouraged to contribute to projects and improvements
via self help schemes. Bids that enable the Council to lever in funding from other
agencies will also be encouraged.
12.
The LCAPs will also influence the review of the Corporate Plan and to the extent
that they contribute to priority setting and future programmes will secure funding for
larger schemes through this process.
Legal Implications
13.
There are no legal implications arising directly from this report.
Consultation
14.
The process of developing the LCAP for South Park, Woodhatch and Meadvale has
gone beyond formal consultation as residents of the area have been engaged in the
identification of issues and how they can best be addressed.
Policy Framework
15.
The intelligence developed as a result of community liaison activity will be of value
in developing the policy framework.
Options
16.
To determine the way forward for community liaison activity and to accept, or not,
the LCAP for South Park, Woodhatch and Meadvale
Conclusions
17.
The development of the LCAP for South Park, Woodhatch and Meadvale has been
an enlightening and beneficial process. It has provided a mechanism to test a
range of assumptions and methodologies of engagement. It has highlighted local
issues not previously recognised or being considered at an organisation level.
18.
It has demonstrated the potential to make a real difference at community level. The
major benefits have been in relation to feedback on Borough Council service
delivery and the insight to the delivery of other public services at a local level and
the significant gap between resident’s perceptions and actual performance.
19.
The process has given local Members a vehicle to make a real difference on the
ground in their Wards and also to enable them to lead the process of community
engagement. In addition the budget allocated to the pilot phase has already
levered in additional resources by substantiating local need and proposing clear
and measurable courses of action.
Background Papers:
Evidence collected to support Woodhatch, South Park and
Meadvale LCAP