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Agenda item
Management Response to Overview & Scrutiny Review of Regeneration Funding
- Meeting of Cabinet, Monday, 2nd September, 2019 6.00 pm (Item 196.)
- View the background to item 196.
Decision:
1. Cabinet thanks the review team for their report.
2. Recommendation 1 is agreed, but that it is noted that actions that grow the wider Hastings economy will be critical to creating new opportunity for economic inclusion.
3. Recommendation 2 is agreed.
4. To accommodate recommendation 3 the Council will investigate how a greater focus could be given to representing local neighbourhoods through officer area champions.
5. Recommendation 4 is agreed. A “project board” drawn from Cabinet members will have oversight of the programme to be adopted in the forthcoming budget.
6. Overview & Scrutiny members are invited to comment upon the Hastings and Rother Task Force review of regeneration work and structures when this work is presented.
Minutes:
The Director of Operational Services presented a report to provide a response to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee review of regeneration funding.
The Director noted that the report includes Maze Hill as an affected ward which isn’t the case.
The council is currently working together with East Sussex County Council (ESCC) and Rother District Council (RDC) to review the impact of regeneration programmes and to identify the priorities for the next period.
The Council’s financial position remains extremely difficult and Councillors will face tough choices around next year’s budget. Any increase in activity not funded by new external funding will need to be found by achieving savings elsewhere. In this kind of context, it is critical to be clear that sustainable benefits to residents are expected to accrue from any new activity and to be precise about what these might be.
Councillor Barnett, chair of the scrutiny regeneration review addressed the meeting. Councillor Barnett noted that the report was agreed unanimously by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee. The review highlighted that whilst there has been a lot of success in the town over the past ten years there is evidence to show that the poorest residents are relatively worse off. The focus needs to be building on the good work already done to support those living in the poorest areas.
Councillor Chowney proposed amending recommendation 4 to make clear the Council will investigate the possibility of maintaining a focus on specific areas through area champions.
Councillor Forward thanked Councillor Barnett, the review team and all officers involved.
Councillor Chowney proposed approval of the report, subject to the amendment to recommendation 4, seconded by Councillor Forward.
RESOLVED (unanimously):
1. Cabinet thanks the review team for their report.
2. Recommendation 1 is agreed, but that it is noted that actions that grow the wider Hastings economy will be critical to creating new opportunity for economic inclusion.
3. Recommendation 2 is agreed.
4. To accommodate recommendation 3 the Council will investigate how a greater focus could be given to representing local neighbourhoods through officer area champions.
5. Recommendation 4 is agreed. A “project board” drawn from Cabinet members will have oversight of the programme to be adopted in the forthcoming budget.
6. Overview & Scrutiny members are invited to comment upon the Hastings and Rother Task Force review.
Reasons for the decision:
The kind of action that will address long term symptoms and causes of poverty are lack of employment opportunities added to factors like education, health and skills.
The council is actively engaged in trying to stimulate growth. The council can contribute to both growth and economic inclusion. Through partnership with the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and others it supports health initiatives and its housing programmes focus upon dealing with both the causes and consequence of poverty.
Previous neighbourhood based work was part of a nationally funded programme aimed at the UKs most disadvantaged local authority areas. Hastings programme included funding for staff to support neighbourhood provision together with a programme of area based grants. The Local Strategic Partnership had oversight of this programme with 21 key targets aimed at “gap closing” on key performance figures. Additionally, Hollington had a Greater Hollington Neighbourhood Pathfinder operating in the previous decade.
Since this funding ceased the council has faced year on year reduction of its budgets. Additionally The Connecting Hastings & Rother Together (CHART), Community Led Local Development (CLLD) and Opportunity Area are significant programmes and the council should focus on how these might be built upon and extended into the future.
The current budget of the council does not easily permit new areas of unfunded work to be developed. It is likely there will be less staff and financial resources available in 2020/21 and moving forward.
Supporting documents:
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