Agenda item

The Panel will consider a progress report on the work of the Place Partnerships to date and the next steps with regards to the Active Travel theme.

Contact:

Vina Randhawa, Democracy Manager

Emily Parry Harries, Head of Public Health

The Panel considered the Place Partnerships Active Travel Progress Report presented by Vina Randhawa, Active Citizens and Places Manager and
Emily Parry-Harries, Head of Public Health. Councillor  Cathy Scott, Deputy Leader and Cabinet member for Housing and Democracy was also in attendance and introduced the item, highlighting that the Place Partnership approach to working in places was crucial and timely following the Covid-19 pandemic.

Vina Randhawa presented an overview of the report and explained that:

·         7 Place Partnerships were established at Annual Council in May 2019, as a part of the Councils approach to Place Based Working.

·         The approach involved a number of wards working together (3 or 4 wards per Place Partnership) to respond to strategic issues on a geography greater than a ward.

·         A Place Partnership Lead Councillor had been identified for each geography.

·         The Place Partnership Leads, working with Councillors and officers,  used data, intelligence, and insight to propose interventions that will lead to better outcomes for communities.

·         The 7 Place Partnership Leads also met regularly as a group along with the Cabinet Portfolio Holder to share progress, discuss common themes and problem solve.

·         After identifying their priorities for investment under a pre-established theme, the Place Partnership leads would refer their recommendations to the Cabinet.

·         The Leads previously worked on improving mental health and domestic abuse outcomes, and for 2021/22 the theme was Active Travel.

·         For the Active Travel theme, officers from a range of different services, such as Public Health, Major Projects and Street Scene had worked together to develop Active Travel Intelligence packs for each Place Partnership Lead.

·         The information packs included health indicators, examples of best practice, summaries of planned schemes, place standard information, school travel data etc.

·         The packs were circulated to the Place Partnership Leads who were briefed on the content and key indicators in their profile.

·         This was followed by a meeting for all ward Councillors, via their Place Partnerships, to consider the profiles and to start to identify priorities and plan for engagement with the community and external stakeholders.

·         Officers had also started to scope options around these priorities which were due to be discussed at the next Place Partnership meeting in February where the next steps would be discussed and agreed by Members.

·         Evaluation was planned and built into all proposals recommended to Cabinet.

·         Where issues were beyond the scope of the Place Partnerships the Leads were keen to ensure that they were elevated and reported to Council.

·         A communication plan was being developed to help raise awareness and promote the work of Place Partnerships.

In the discussion to follow, the Panel raised concerns about the timings of ward councillor engagement meetings, highlighting that meetings should be arranged with consideration of other commitments members may have and ensuring that they do not miss their opportunity for engagement.  Cllr Cathy Scott agreed to raise the issue with the Place Partnership Leads, highlighting that all members should be given opportunity to have their say.

In response to a question from the Panel about consultation and communication with the public, Vina Randhawa reassured the Panel that engagement was a key part of the process. It was also explained that during the next meeting of the Place Partnerships Leads, members would collectively agree the themes to explore further, and at this point public engagement exercise would be planned and supported by officers. Different ideas for ways to engage and communicate with the public had already been suggested such as drop ins and walks.

The Panel highlighted that in order to improve active travel in Kirklees, it was important to connect active travel routes across wards to create a coherent network which allowed people to move around the district without using roads. In response, Vina Randhawa agreed that this was a common challenge and advised that the Place Partnership Leads were keen where possible to elevate strategic priorities to the Council. Emily Parry-Harries, Head of Public Heath added that it was important to identify the appropriate level to hold such conversations in order to achieve the best outcomes.

Further questions were asked by the Panel around the development and monitoring of active travel plans for schools highlighting that this was a common theme.  In relation to , PROW improvements, the Panel highlighted that it was important not to mistake routine maintenance, such as clearing overgrown bushes, for improvement.  It was important to put in place the same amount of priority and care into the maintenance and improvement of PROW as the roads.

The Panel also raised concerned about plans to enhance Canal towpath for the purposes of Active Travel, explaining that these were built for narrow boaters not for active travel and as they were not wide enough, would result in a conflict between users. The Panel further advised that it was important to make sure a proper legal agreement was established in relation to enhancing the canal towpaths that sets out clear outcomes and expectations.  Concerns were also raised about a wooden barrier on a greenway in Batley, as the same style of wooden barrier had been condemned in Bradley Greenway in 2007.

The Panel further raised the importance of encouraging safe walking and cycling behaviours, suggesting high-vis jackets, flashing tags on school bags and 20mph zones around all schools were suggested as possible measures. The importance of education about active travel and safe active travel in schools was also highlighted.

Vina Randhawa responded to agree with the importance of encouraging safe active travel and advised that behaviour change and safety in relation to Active Travel was being explored as a part of the overall programme. Information surrounding behaviour change and best practice examples were included in the intelligence pack provided to the Place Partnership Leads, and Vina further invited Panel members to share any other examples of safe active travel measures that they may be aware of.

The Panel raised concerns that there were some challenges in grouping some ward areas together as some geographies differed considerably in size and would require different solutions and the some grouping of wards didn’t reflect the resident’s sense of place. It was however acknowledged that such challenges may arise wherever a boundary is drawn. Emily Parry Harries responded to agree with the challenges of grouping the wards and highlighted the importance of having conversations at a local level to make sure communities feel that they and their priorities are being recognised.

The Panel also expressed their gratitude the to Active Citizens and Places Officers supporting the work of the Place Partnerships. Emily Parry Harries welcomed Panel Members positive comments and agreed to give this feedback to the officers involved.

RESOLVED: 

That the panel noted the update and thanked officers and Cabinet Members involved in the process.  It was also agreed that:

1.    It was important that engagement with members took place and Councillor Cathy Scott would raise the issue of making sure that all members have opportunity to attend engagement meetings with the Place Partnership Leads.

2.    Members should also be proactive in responding to engagements and that written communication should be sent to all councillors to raise awareness.

3.    It was important for a consistent approach to be taken across the district, by learning from good practice and sharing this across all the Place Partnerships.

4.    Engagement and consultation with the public was important to understand priorities.

5.    Encouraging safe active travel was important through behaviour change, by providing protective equipment/clothing and education in schools.

6.    In respect of any geographical challenges, it was important to make sure that wards individual priorities were being listened through place-based conversations.

7.    There were larger strategic issues identified (such as creating a connected active travel network across Kirklees and maintaining funding for projects longer term) and it was important that these issues be elevated to the appropriate level to achieve the best outcomes.

8.    Clear agreements were required, which set out expected outcomes, when working with partners and providing funding.