Agenda item
Communications
To consider any communications to be submitted by the Mayor or the Chief Executive.
Minutes:
(a) Soaring to Success
The Chief Executive reported that Monday 10th June 2019 saw the start of the ‘Soaring to Success’ programme; a collaboration between Barnsley Council and the Air League Trust.
The Air League Trust was a Charity originally founded in 1909 at the beginning of powered flight whose role was to organise programmes to promote UK aviation, aerospace and space particularly amongst young people.
This was the first time that the Air League had worked with a local authority to bring aviation experiences and job opportunities to the young people in one area of the UK. To this end they had entered into a partnership with Barnsley Council to bring their programme to the young people of Barnsley.
The Air League Trust’s programme contained four progressive stages.
The earlier stages involved a series of Introduction to Aviation careers events for 1000 young people, exploring the breadth of careers available within the aviation and space sectors
There would be a series of Air Experience days in which successful applicants would visit an operating airfield to gain an understanding of the roles involved in its operation. As part of this, students would have the opportunity of a taster glider flight.
Later stages comprised a series of Flying Days and would see 20 year 12 students return to an airfield to gain further tuition in how to fly a glider leading to some students experiencing Powered Flight to transfer learning from their glider flying to the piloting of a light aircraft.
. The proposal created the opportunity for Barnsley learners to:
· have meaningful employability encounters with leaders in the aviation industry;
· gain further understanding of potential career opportunities
· develop skills that build confidence and raise aspiration irrespective of whether a career in aviation was their intention.
The contribution which Barnsley was making was acknowledged at the recent Annual Awards of the Air League organised with the permission of HRH the Duke of Edinburgh Patron of the Air League at a reception at St James’s Palace held on 30th May. The Council was represented at the reception and Alastair Parker who was invited to address the reception and who was present this morning in the Council Chamber together with Lauren Surtees who had supported him in the delivery of the Project.
The Mayor and Members of the Council expressed their congratulations to all concerned in the usual manner.
(b) Barnsley Museums Archive Service
The Chief Executive was very pleased to announce that the Archive Service has been successful in securing two grants recently.
£30,000 has been awarded from the National Archives to catalogue the archives department’s extensive and important collection of Non-Conformist records. There was a high demand for access to this collection.
A further £5,000 has been secured from The National Manuscripts Conservation Trust (NMCT) grants scheme. The money would be used as part of an ongoing project to conserve and make more accessible the well-known Dransfield collection of antiquarian papers, currently stored at Penistone Library. The collection includes some 19th century letters relating to football teams in the Penistone area, which were of national importance.
Congratulations were expressed to congratulate Paul Stebbing and David Blunden for securing this much needed extra funding for the service.
Councillor Cheetham, Cabinet Support Member for Place (Regeneration and Culture) asked to add his own thanks to Paul Stebbing and David Blunden of their hard work in achieving such a success as he was aware of how competitive it was to obtain such funding. He understood that only one in six of a hundred applications was successful and it was down to their hard work that this had been achieved. The Archives Service was exemplary and it was great that the Council provided the service for residents who valued their history and heritage.
Councillor Richardson, as the Council’s representatives on the South Yorkshire Joint Advisory Committee on Archives asked to add his own personal congratulations to all involved. He also stated that the Archives Service was a true jewel in the crown for Barnsley.
Councillors Greenhough (Penistone West Ward Member) and Councillor Barnard (Penistone East Ward Member) also added their own congratulations to all involved as these archives were a vital part of Penistone’s history
The Mayor and Members of the Council expressed their thanks to all involved in the usual manner.
(c) Helen Jagger – Berneslai Homes Chief Executive
The Chief Executive reported that Helen Jagger was to retire as Chief Executive of Berneslai Homes next month and she was pleased to say that she has joined Members in the Council Chamber this morning. Helen had been at the helm at Berneslai Homes since 2007 and she was sure everyone would wish to join her in wishing Helen well in her retirement and thanking her for her huge contribution to Barnsley
Councillor Sir Steve Houghton CBE asked to express his sincere thanks to Helen for all that she had done in Barnsley. Helen had worked in the public sector for 39 years becoming professionally qualified in Housing whilst working for the London Borough of Camden, extending her portfolio to Human Resources and Organisational Development with Leeds City Council.
She was a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Housing and Chartered Institute of Personal Development. Before joining Berneslai Homes in 2007 she was Chief Executive of one of the 6 Almo’s in Leeds. Helen had maintained a broad interest in Partner and outside organisations including, until recently, the Chair of the Leeds Federated Housing Association, she represented Northern Almo’s on the National Federation of Almo’s Board, Vice Chair of Barnsley College Board, Chair of the Housing Customer Experience Committee, Board Member/Director of the Barnsley and Rotherham Chamber of Commerce and Chair of the Sheffield City Region Housing Provider Forum.
Helen’s philosophy was that residents were at the heart of everything we did and she believed very strongly that Partnership with the Council must be at the centre of all that Berneslai Homes did. Under Helen’s leadership the Authority had seen Berneslai homes go from strength to strength becoming one of the top performing housing organisations in the country and year on year Berneslai Homes was one of the top three performing organisations in the country which was a remarkable achievement.
There were so may achievements that could be mentioned; the three stars excellent rating from the Audit Commission in 2009; Berneslai Homes regularly featured in the Sunday Times top 100 companies list in the UK; the Investors in People Gold and Health and Well Being awards; and recently the building of new Council homes within Barnsley for the first time in decades. With that great performance and supporting the Council’s priorities Berneslai Homes was named the No1 housing landlord by 24 Housing Magazine in 2017 and in 2015 Helen had been named Chief Executive of the Year
The Council had always prioritised the provision of decent homes for its residents and the Decent Homes Programme and the work that Berneslai Homes had done had been exemplary. In many areas Council housing was seen as a problem but here in Barnsley, because of the work Helen had done, council housing was seen as a solution and this was a fantastic achievement for all the residents.
Once again, he thanked Helen for all she had done and wished her well for the future.
The Mayor added her own congratulations to Helen and wished her a long and happy retirement.
The Mayor and Members of the Council expressed their thanks in the usual manner.
(d) Library@theLightbox
The Chief Executive stated that she was very fortunate that her fist week as Barnsley Council’s Chief Executive coincided with the opening of the Library @ the Lightbox. This was a fantastic facility. Over 5,000 people visited the Saturday it opened and she knew it has been extremely busy since. All the media coverage had been very complimentary including lots and lots of positive comments on social media. This was definitely a facility to be very proud of and a real boost to the town centre. She asked to place on record her congratulations to everybody who had been involved in making it happen.
Councillor Platts, Cabinet Spokesperson for Adults and Communities knew that many people had joined her at the opening of the Library and all who had attended were immensely proud to see this fabulous building open its doors. Many members of the public had posted on the day and had posted on social media since stating their appreciation for the development and enthused at the richness of the offer inside the building. She had been blown away by the diversity, the fabulous technology, the activities for children and the information and support. These facilities would continue to develop in the months ahead. The Lightbox would be hosting the 100 years celebration of social housing in August. She asked to place on record her thanks to Library Team, the IT Team, Henry Boot and the Regeneration Team who had all contributed in developing this fantastic community hub and making it such a success.
The Mayor and Members of the Council expressed their congratulations on these achievements in the usual manner.