Agenda item

The Board will receive a presentation on proposals to develop vibrant Communities in our priority neighbourhoods, using strength-based approaches in partnership with our communities’.

Cat McMillan, Head of Community Engagement at BCP Council, gave a presentation focussed on proposals to develop vibrant Communities in priority neighbourhoods, using strength-based approaches in partnership with communities.  The Board was advised that part of this involved a culture shift in the language used moving away for phrases such as tackling deprivation and regeneration with a focus on deficits inside communities to develop vibrant communities and highlighting what was strong not what was wrong.

The Board was advised that key communities the Council want work with, in a vibrant way, have been identified.  The next stage was how to engage with communities and work with them to identify strength-based approaches. The Board was advised that services were already delivered in a vibrant and dynamic way eg innovative parks, large impactive festivals and award-winning behaviour changing services which helped people across the area to make lifestyle changes to improve their wellbeing.  Cat explained that there was considerable evidence that public services that were delivered in partnership with the communities provided more sustainable and better outcomes for residents.  This was apparent during the presentation given earlier in the year by Cormac Russell who was a world-renowned expert in asset-based community development or ABCD.  The issue to consider was are partners going far enough to give communities enough ownership in the decisions that affect their lives. 

The Board was advised of the outcomes that had been achieved by East Ayrshire in Scotland which had transformed the way in which they work with their communities including the process they adopted eg through community events to engage with residents.  Cat explained the fundamental change which was the shift of power from the Local Authority to communities, that ABCD had been embedded throughout the Council and that the Local Authority’s role was to serve the communities. The Board was informed of the development of the community led action plan which the local community then delivered in partnership with the Council and wider partners. Cat outlined the ABCD model and the various stages. The Board was advised that this approach was used to work with the priority neighbourhoods across BCP those that were within the 20% most deprived under the indices of deprivation.  Cat outlined the development of the strategies that would support this approach, the future for vibrant communities beyond area action plans and the evaluation of the model. The Board was advised of the work streams and the structure for the development of the model for priority neighbourhoods in the BCP Council area and the associated timelines.

Steve Place, Community Action Network, welcomed the proposal, the detail that underpinned the approach and the time taken by the Council to consider this initiative. He highlighted the expected long-term improvements and reported that there were plenty of communities of interest that suffer disadvantages and asked how their needs would be addressed.  Mr Place also referred to neighbourhood plans that were supported as part of the planning system which would be an option within the ABCD approach with statutory status in terms of planning development going forward.  He referred to the opportunity to learn from rural areas such as parish planning systems. 

The Vice-Chairman outlined his support for the approach and that ABCD provided a good foundation to build on the strengths of communities. He referred to Wigan which was also a good source of learning and emphasised that this structured approach could add the most value.  Louise Bate, Healthwatch felt that it was a great plan, referred to the way in which communities had pulled together to support each other during Covid and that it was the right time to build on that momentum.  She also highlighted that communities of interest should not be missed.  Mr Iggulden asked about the work stream in lane three and how partners could better respond and be receptive to the vibrancy of communities.  Councillor Rampton highlighted that she would like to see innovative ways of reaching out and engaging with communities and less reliance on social media.  She also supported previous comments on the geographical boundaries and whilst it was important to go to more deprived communities that ABCD should be a conurbation-wide approach with the concept embedded in the whole conurbation and not just in a few communities.

Kate Ryan, Corporate Director, in response to a question commented on the governance arrangements which would result in setting up a new sub-group that would report into the Health and Wellbeing Board.  It therefore means that that community agenda would be at the heart of the Health and Wellbeing Framework with links to the Health and Wellbeing Strategy which included the priority to empower communities and tackle inequalities. Debbie Fleming asked who was overseeing this activity.  The Board was advised that this initiative provided an opportunity to provide the forum and the approach that all partners could support alongside existing networks into communities.  Marc House felt that this was an incredibly positive opportunity for partners to work collaboratively and put communities at the heart of everything that was undertaken.  He explained that for the service it was about developing healthier and safer lives with learning and engagement and he welcomed the opportunity to be engaged in the project.

Cat McMillan explained that this project was not being undertaken to the exclusion of other communities of interest all the work in these areas continued.  She confirmed that in terms of West Howe the reference in the report was recognition that there was an incredibly strong charity already operating and well established.

RESOLVED that the Board support the approach outlined in the presentation to develop vibrant communities on a strength-based approach and that the Board is engaged as appropriate applying the commitment of the partnership.

Voting: Agreed