Agenda item

The Committee will consider a report which provides an update on the work undertaken by the Shadow Kirklees Inclusion Commission (SKIC) to lay the groundwork for the formation of the formal Kirklees Inclusion Commission. 

Contact:

Kate McNicholas,

Head of Policy, Partnerships and Corporate Planning

A report was presented which provided an update on the work undertaken by the Shadow Kirklees Inclusion Commission (SKIC) to lay the groundwork for the formation of the formal Kirklees Inclusion Commission. 

Councillor Shabir Pandor, Leader of the Council and Councillor Amanda Pinnock, Chair of the SKIC attended the meeting and introduced the report, with the following key points:

·       The pandemic had highlighted inequalities in a number of areas, such as housing and health.

·       There was an ambition to provide levelling-up across the district. The Commission would make recommendations for solutions, based on a strong intelligence and evidence base developed using conversations with real people.

·       It was important that all residents were able to connect and communicate effectively with the Council.

·       The impact of the start in life on an individual’s life journey was recognised and the Commission was an opportunity to break the cycle of deprivation and inequalities.

·       The Shadow Commission was laying the foundations for the formal Commission. It aimed to provide a clear framework and operating model for the full Commission, including identifying prime areas of focus and who the Commission would need to work alongside to achieve its aims.

·       The importance of engagement with not just the usual cohort of partners, but also reaching those people that the Council did not usually reach and who did not normally engage using the traditional methods.

·       Evidence of lived experience would be essential to Commission’s understanding of the impact of deprivation.

·       Legacy and the continuation of dialogue, further to the Commission completing its work, was very important.

Naz Parkar, Service Director for Homes and Neighbourhoods and Kate McNicholas, Head of Policy, Partnerships and Corporate Planning were also in attendance and explained that:

·       Creative and innovative ways of working were being developed to ensure effective engagement; with the aim of meeting with people where they were comfortable and building relationships and trust.

·       The importance of the language that was used was acknowledged.

·       In forthcoming meetings, the SKIC would be giving consideration to its overall ambitions, the establishment of an evaluation framework to measure outcomes and would also consider the potential input and role of                      co-optees.

·       The Commission would be asked to focus on a number of areas including: quality of life, the impact of inequalities and inclusion; life course (impact of an individual’s start in life and early years); educational attainment, employment, health and wellbeing, neighbourhoods and housing, and control and influence.

·       The need to join-up the work with that being undertaken by the Climate Commission had been recognised.

·       The recommendations of the Shadow Commission would be submitted to Leading Members in July.

Questions and comments were invited from Committee Members and the following key issues were raised during discussion:

·       The Shadow Commission had been established as a precursor to the formal Commission to ensure that the work did not falter whilst energies were being focussed on the necessary response to the pandemic and to undertake some of the initial preparatory work.

·       In response to a question about representation on the formal Commission it was explained that it was important that the Commission had high level cross-party buy-in and thus it was comprised of the leaders of each group; they were supported by a diverse management team.

·       The recommendations of the Shadow Commission would be taken to Leading Members.

·       The issue of the evaluation of longer-term change would be raised with the Shadow Commission. The legacy and the frameworks left behind once the work had been completed were recognised as a very important issue.

Engagement needed to be undertaken in a way that became sustainable for the future and work would be undertaken on the model to achieve that goal.

·       By its nature, addressing inequalities was a long term piece of work and the work that the Commission was doing would need to be embedded within the organisation to ensure it could achieve this aim.

·       In terms of capacity to undertake the significant number of strands of work, within the timeframe, it was explained that an Officer Programme Board had been established to manage and consider the necessary resources.

·       Evidence would also be gathered from outside Kirklees and from within the wider region to aid learning and provide context, although the core data would, by necessity, be from Kirklees.

·       Independent voices were very important and there was a need to make use of outside experience and expertise. It would be a good idea for an inequalities expert and people with lived experience to have a role with the formal Commission perhaps with a input into some of the decision-making.

·       The acknowledgment of the impacts of inequality on life course was welcomed.

·       It was agreed that it was crucial that the voice of young people was heard, from an early age, and that account was taken of their experiences, for example in terms of education and any barriers they had experienced.

·       The Commission would look at risks, issues and opportunities but should also identify strengths.

·       Consideration of influence and control was a very important aspect of the work; people needed to be assured that they were being listened to but further to this that their input received a response.

RESOLVED –

(1) That the points and suggestions raised by the Committee, including those noted below, be taken into account in the work of the shadow and formal Inclusion Commissions:

·       Consideration should be given to representation on the Commission.

·       The importance of independent voices and the engagement of expert knowledge and experience.

·       The importance of hearing the voice and experience of children and young people.

·       The importance of influence and control.

(2) That a further report be submitted to the Committee later in 2021 to update Members on the work of the Commission. The report to include, in particular, more detail in relation to the process for engagement; how this will work and encompass the whole of Kirklees; and the life course strand of work.