Councillor Shabir Pandor, the Leader of the Council, will attend to discuss his portfolio priorities for 2021/22.
Minutes:
Councillor Pandor attended the meeting to discuss his portfolio priorities for 2021/22 and highlighted the following points:
· The refreshed Council Plan had been approved by full Council in October and set out the vision for the future.
· The previous plan had contained over 100 priority actions, 90% of which had been delivered or were on target.
· Thanks were expressed to all the Council’s staff for their hard work, particularly during the pandemic.
· The actions focused on what matters to residents.
· Updates were given under each of the following outcome headings:
Sustainable Economy: the transformation of Huddersfield Town Centre was progressing with Gateway One having been signed off and the move towards Gateway 2; the business case for Dewsbury Town Centre had been submitted to the Government; engagement had been undertaken in relation to funding for smaller town centres; and plans to modernise transport infrastructure were in progress.
Best Start: an inclusion support offer had been delivered in schools; the early intervention service had been widened to parents and carers; and a plan to increase the number of places for children in special schools had been approved.
Aspire and Achieve: a new Learning Strategy had been produced, with a particular focus on children who were most at risk of being marginalised; and an Employment and Skills Strategy was in development.
Well: health checks were being undertaken for those most at risk; work was being undertaken to tackle obesity; and a focus had been placed on mental health using the Community Champions.
Independent: a new Kirklees Care Association had been established to bring together partners; and progress had been made in relation to an improved Aids and Adaptations Policy and the provision of more Extra Care housing.
Safe and Cohesive: fire safety work was ongoing in the high-rise blocks, with a focus on full engagement with tenants.
Clean and Green: the new Waste Strategy had been adopted by Council and was now being delivered, with action having been taken in respect of bulky waste and initiatives in relation to fly tipping and glass collection programmed for later in the year; and progress was being made towards achieving net-zero, with a road map being developed for the next phase.
Shaped by People: the new Homes and Neighbourhoods Service was leading the way in engagement with residents; and Place Standard engagement had been undertaken with communities in Batley, Heckmondwike and Cleckheaton.
Efficient and Effective: a new careers website had been launched; and work had been undertaken to transform Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) services.
Questions and comments were invited from Committee Members, with the following issues being covered:
· The budget would be set by the Council in February and the issues associated with the current cost of living crisis would be addressed within the proposals, through local welfare provision and support for the voluntary and community sector. The Combined Authority would be considering opportunities from levelling-up funding and the Council would work together with the private sector, the Health and Wellbeing Partnership and healthcare agencies to make best use of available funding. This was a priority issue that would be given consideration going forward.
· Questions in respect of community safety and the priorities and role of the Council in areas such as the criminal exploitation of young people, and feedback from the Climate Commission could be discussed with the relevant Portfolio Holders.
· In respect of partnership working with other organisations, with particular reference to the regeneration of Huddersfield Town Centre, it was noted that decisions had to take account of impact on local taxpayers. There may be lessons to be learned, and wider engagement and discussions would take place as the programme moved towards Gateway 2.
Councillor Pandor was thanked for attending the meeting to discuss his portfolio priorities and it was noted that he would be invited to a future meeting of the Committee to provide an update.