Agenda item

The Committee are asked to receive the report of the Head of Community, Partnerships and Customers on the Council’s Community Engagement Forums (CEFs).

The Committee received the report of the Head of Community, Partnerships and Customers which asked Members to consider the role and function of the Community Engagement Forums (CEF’s) in conjunction with key CEF representatives.

Members were informed that there were five CEF’s in the Selby District: Central, Eastern, Southern, Tadcaster and Villages and Western.  Each CEF comprised of local Councillor representatives from parish, town, district and county authorities from the wards which the CEF served, along with ‘co-opted’ community members; and their role was to engage with local resident populations, to assess local strengths and needs and to develop a community led plan to meet those needs.

Members noted that the Annual Reports for each CEF would be submitted to Full Council in December 2019 and would identify further impacts and use of local funding.

The Committee heard examples of how each CEF had made an impact in their area both through organisations having received funding and also groups being established following information presented at Forums.

Members were informed that the CEF model had been in place since 2009/10.  In order to maintain a view on the effectiveness of the CEF’s, CEF Chairs and Vice Chairs had completed an evaluation workshop in September 2018 facilitated by an external company, which had been funded and supported by North Yorkshire County Council Stronger Communities; the workshop had highlighted areas to be considered for further development.

The Chairs of Central, Eastern and the Southern CEF were present at the meeting along with the two Community Development Officers and the North Yorkshire County Council Highways Customer Communications Officer, who frequently attended CEF meetings, and entered into the dialogue.

Discussion took place around the Forum meetings, and in particular how to encourage local residents to attend, it was agreed that the movement of Forums around the respective CEF areas had addressed issues such as rurality, and had improved attendance.  The CEF Chairs stated that the subject matter and how it linked to localised issues was key to both numbers of attendees and the quality of discussion.

Members raised concerns about the way the allocated funding of £20k per CEF was apportioned across each CEF area; it was felt that some areas within the district had disproportionate factors which affected them such as deprivation or population per head, and therefore should receive a larger proportion of funding.  Discussions centred on Central CEF in this respect, but also noted other funding and network opportunities that the area could work on, such as Selby Big Local, with potential to work more collaboratively with groups and funders.

In terms of CEF areas, members felt that geographically some of the CEF boundaries should be reviewed, and also queried the composition of each Partnership Board which in some cases was felt to be unproportioned representation of the areas, particularly from community members.

The Committee were informed that since inception 123 community organisations had received grant funding, with numerous community buildings within the area being saved from closure. 

The Director of Public Health stated that the core idea of the CEF’s was excellent and that in terms of engaging with the communities, he would be happy to assist. 

RESOLVED:

To note the Community Engagement Forums (CEF’s) report.

Dr Lincoln Sargeant, Kathryn Ingold, Bob Procter, Amanda Scrimgeour, Chris Hailey-Norris, Sharon Fox, Angela Crossland and Councillor Chilvers left the meeting at this stage and did not return.