Agenda item

The Area Council Manager provided an overview of performance, which included all contracted services and made members aware that they were between quarters and it was expected that the Quarter 1 update would be provided at the September meeting.

A brief reminder of contracts awarded by the Area Council was provided to members and that the Supporting Vulnerable and Isolated Older People’s contract had been extended to the end of December, 2021.

Highlights were provided of the work carried out by Age UK including the move to engage with more service users face to face in the aim to get people out and about moving due to the increased evidence suggesting that they were struggling with mobility due to the long periods of lockdown.  Walks for Health which had begun in Silkstone had been popular and more walks had been planned to include Wentworth Castle Gardens in the future and Tai Chi classes had been reintroduced in Penistone with a planned new programme in Pilley.  Members noted that the initiative to deliver meals and activities to homes had ceased but would be reviewed and ready to start up again if needed.

Members were informed that discussions were being held around a relaunch of the Men in Sheds initiative to encourage new members and that they would be looking to expand their workspace.  Members commented that Springvale Community Gardens may have some free space and also the Penistone Community Church had some space they would designate for community use.

Members expressed their disappointment at the continued restrictions on the community car share scheme, but they were informed that once restrictions had been lifted this would be reviewed and a push would be made to get it going once again. 

A brief introduction to the Take a Seat Campaign was provided and members were asked to identify existing benches around the area which could be utilised to support older people.  Members were encouraged by the campaign and named a number of areas that could be used.  Twiggs had been working in collaboration with the scheme in order to restores any benches that may have been earmarked for the campaign.

Members noted that a Dementia friendly café session would be held in July at Penistone Leisure Centre with dementia specific activities being provided.

A brief overview of the work being carried out by Twiggs was provided including the continued support with individual litter picks by providing tools and equipment, work carried out during the volunteers week and Great British Spring Clean which included work on the tank ramp and turntable in Penistone and a number of village clean ups including Cawthorne and Thurlstone with discussions taking place with a view to holding one in High Hoyland.

Contact had been maintained with Hoylandswaine, Cawthorne and Silkstone Primary Schools with the mini Christmas tree competition and regular updates had been provided on Penistone FM to promote volunteer opportunities.  Support had been provided for young people taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh’s award and Princes Trust work experience and a new apprentice had joined the Team.   

The DIAL Service continued their service online and over the telephone which had been deemed a popular way for service users to contact them as they felt there was less stigma attached to a phone call rather than walking into a face to face appointment.  The new contact methods were more advantageous to service users instead of having to wait for the Thursday drop in at Penistone Town Hall. 

Members were informed that most of the contact made was in relation to Personal Independent Payments (PIP) but that demand remained steady and numbers were enhanced with the safe and well checks and support with public health guidance.

Outcomes on benefit gains had remained high with further discussions to take place regarding service delivery in the future as restrictions came to an end.

The CAB debt advice service was funded to the end of September, 2021 with a 6 month extension to the end of April, 2022 funded from the financial hardship fund.  Contact to the service remained by telephone and online, although the video appointment option had not seen much take up but these methods were also deemed a preferred way to contact the service as service users felt it maintained anonymity within the community. 

An upsurge in debt recuperation was expected as restrictions were lifted and the courts worked through their backlog of cases which was predicted to see average rent arrears rise to between £7,000 and £9,000 from pre-pandemic numbers of around £2,000.  Training and recruitment of new volunteers continued and there was a need for an evaluation of the type of service that would be required post pandemic.

An update was provided on 5 projects that had been granted from the Supporting Young People Grant Fund which were:

·         Ad Astra – to provide gender specific mental wellbeing sessions to pre-16 pupils at Penistone Grammar School

·         Penistone Grammar School – to provide mental wellbeing sessions for post-16 pupils from September

·         Penistone Girl Guiding – to provide support to young women through positive experiences and activities to enhance self-esteem and wellbeing

·         Angel Voices – community based singing workshops to lead up to community performance events to raise funds for charity, 2 had been held in July with a third to be held in August

·         Penistone Leisure – to hold a range of activities such as Teen Boxing, skating and a planned resilience bootcamp plus structured activities to support mental health

·         Active Minds Project Penistone FM – to provide training to a core group of young people in broadcasting skills to then engage with other young people to pass on their experiences and advise through podcasts

Members were provided with an update on the work the Area Team had carried out including the continued support to local businesses and community venues through the Public Health funded Neighbourhood Engagement Officer.  The Penistone Living magazine had been published with promotion of the role the Area Team hold in the community and hopes that people would be encouraged to come forward. 

The community mapping exercise to determine the number of operational community groups in the area and what support they would need for future development continued. 

Members were informed that a covid-19 fund of £250,000 was available for applications for funding for already established voluntary and community organisations across the Borough who had been adversely affected as a result of the pandemic and were facing financial difficulties. 

As part of the Community Listening exercise, an intensive period of community engagement had been planned during August and September in order to understand more about the Penistone Community including a stall at the Community Gala and a market stall on a Thursday morning.  There were also plans for a walk on the Trans Pennine Trail around the Penistone East Ward calling off at venues in the villages and Towns and speaking with members of the community. 

Members were provided with a brief overview of some of the other work the Team had carried out and were informed that Mandie Olofinlua, the new Neighbourhood Engagement Officer would be starting in August to provide public health support post pandemic.

RESOLVED that the report be noted.