Agenda item

Bob Kirton, Chief Delivery Officer and Deputy Chief Executive BHNFT, provided a verbal update on Barnsley 2030 and the recent development workshop which has taken place.  Particular reference was made to the following:

• Barnsley 2030 Board - was a new initiative, bringing together public and private sector organisations from a variety of sectors.
• The alignment of work with the four themes of Barnsley 2030: Learning, Growing, Healthy, Sustainable.
• The many links between various areas, such as with inequalities which cut across all four areas.
• The use of data together with stories about people etc.
• The data which showed shocking truths, and was challenging to tackle. There was a need to focus on how to resolve all issues.
• The Workshop particularly focussed on children and transition to adulthood e.g. apprenticeships and employment opportunities. Update from Youth Forum.
• The thinking about plans a decade in advance.
• The voice of children and young people which was crucial to influence those plans.
• The NHS focus on health inequalities. It is felt useful to widen this to general inequalities, focusing on fairness, education, economic inequalities, as they all linked.
• The importance of making good employment accessible and providing a variety of opportunities. Supporting travel links and enabling people to physically get to work.

The Chair praised the Workshop having had many active participants with excellent ideas coming out of it.

RESOLVED that:

(i)    It be noted that food is a multi-purpose solution as there are strong links between healthy eating and community cohesion;

(ii)  It be noted that there are spaces available around Barnsley that could be utilised for volunteering projects, such as allotments in need of maintenance due to staff shortages;

(iii)That it be noted that the BMBC volunteering scheme offers 4 paid volunteering days per year and links can be made through volunteering through partnership and agency working with organisations such as Age UK Barnsley and Barnsley CVS;

(iv)That it be noted that the Incredible Edible website was a useful point of reference for green spaces being converted into food growing spaces and that Incredible Edible be invited to present at a future meeting, to look at the mechanism for utilising unused council green space; and

(v)  the Board work with the initiatives already in place to build on this and strengthen their focus.