Agenda item

The item was introduced by the Area Council Manager, who drew attention to part A of the report, which provided an overview of performance.

With reference to the ‘Improving our Local Environment’ priority, Members noted that the figures represented the first year of delivery. It was noted that there had been 942 litter picks, the majority of which had included significant amounts of volunteering, as did many of the 362 environmental projects completed.  626 Fixed Penalty Notices for littering had been issued, and 39 for dog fouling, with 150 PCN notices for parking violations.

The Area Manager made Members aware of the ongoing dialogue between senior officers and staff at Kingdom Security to ensure that parking enforcement was delivered in the most efficient way, without duplication.  Officers agreed to ensure that the Cabinet Spokesperson for Place was aware of the discussions taking place.

Members noted that a review of the enforcement services was currently taking place, the results of which would inform future commissioning.

It was noted that, whilst the numbers of notices issued were not broken down per Ward, patrolling hours were for each Ward were available.  It was noted that the majority of notices issued were based on intelligence provided, and all Members were encouraged to continue to provide this.

With regards to the ‘Access to Local Information and Advice’ priority, Members noted that £613,846 of benefits had been gained to date as a result of advice given, and 836 people had received advice.  The meeting heard how those accessing the service were often either elderly, or those in work.  £660,416 of debt was now being successfully managed through financial settlements, and significant numbers of clients had been referred to the Credit Union, and other sources of help and support.   19 cases of homelessness had also been averted

It was noted that the service had recently had some positive exposure in the Barnsley Chronicle.

Members discussed the positive impact the project had on the Mental Health of clients and, although the extent of this could not currently be measured, a piece of work was being undertaken to map the impact of Area Councils on Public Health outcomes.

It was noted that 94% of the Area Council budget had been spent in the local economy, a figure which compared favourably with other Council departments, and with other Area Councils.

Members noted that 68 additional volunteers had been engaged, but it was stressed that this figure was not representative, as many residents had given their time for one-off projects and therefore may have not been counted.  A discussion took place about the merits of recording volunteer hours, and it was noted that this would take place in the future.

The Area Manager then drew Members’ attention to part B of the report which provided more detail about the performance of each contract.

With regards to the One Stop Shop project, the project had been very successful and client satisfaction had been extremely high.  It was noted that the use of local venues had been highlighted as a factor contributing to its success. Members heard how links with food banks were now being developed to help identify those most in need of assistance.

Referring to the Tidy Team, the Area Manager made the meeting aware that two apprentices had now passed their NVQs, and the team had now recruited two more apprentices.  The team had been involved in all the summer galas, generating interest and promoting volunteering opportunities.

Members heard how take up of the business courses had been disappointing, despite them being free of charge, and being held in local venues at appropriate times.  In order to fill places and maximise the impact, the courses had therefore subsequently been offered to the general public, being publicised widely through the Neighbourhood Networks.

The meeting were updated on the Summer Holiday Internship.  43 young people had taken part in the programme, and feedback was extremely positive.  A celebration event had been arranged to take place on 23^rd September, 2015.

Members questioned the types of young people accessing the course and it was acknowledged that a variety attended, including many that the schools identified would be more likely to benefit from such a scheme.

RESOLVED that the content of the Performance Report be noted.