Agenda item

The Area Council Manager introduced the item, reminding Members that Part A of the report provided an overview of the cumulative impact of Area Council finance to date, with Part B providing a narrative of the performance of each commission or funded project.

With reference to Part A, attention was drawn to the number of jobs created, with six full time posts, eight part time posts, and one apprentice.  Through the Dearne Development Fund there had been £130,000 of additional match funding brought into the area as a result of investment by the Area Council.

22 people had received qualifications, and 21 residents had been educated with regards to the environment and littering.

Members noted that 55 people had accessed information and advice through the service provided by DIAL, and 18 young people had been referred to receive support prior to intervention by CAMHS, with six receiving one to one support.

The benefits of supporting young people with mental health issues was stressed, including helping to reduce exclusions, and improving attendance and achievement at school.

The performance of the Environmental Enforcement Contract was considered, and the combined number of notices issued was 80 compared to 112 over the last quarter.  The reasons for the reduction were discussed, with the possibilities that figures had decreased due to behaviour changes or due to a temporary change in staff over the past quarter considered.

It was noted that there was a payment rate of 74% for notices issued. It was agreed to request further information as to the reasons behind this, and whether this was merely due to time lags in payment.

With regards to the service level agreement to support private sector housing, it was noted that the performance rating for ‘satisfactory quarterly monitoring report and contract monitoring meeting’ was now amber.  This was due to the monitoring meeting being cancelled and subsequently rescheduled.

However, performance against the contract was positive, with both enforcement and prevention work being undertaken.  The team had dealt with 270 complaints in the previous quarter, giving advice and support to residents, and identifying 30 vulnerable households.  Six of these had been referred to a range of support services.  It was suggest that in future the support services referred to be monitored and the information be shared with the Area Council. 

Members noted that there had been 97 instances of waste at premises. It was agreed that the Area Chair discusses the issue of charging for the delivery of household bins with the Service Director, Environment and Transport to consider how this barrier could be overcome for residents in the area.

The meeting went on to discuss the contract with Twiggs, noting that 302 bags of waste had been collected and six fly tipping incidents had been reported.

Members noted the sessions held with local schools, and the discussions with Dearne Valley College to offer placements for apprentices.

The Area Council Manager provided an update on the performance of the projects funded through the Dearne Development Fund, noting the following points.

The Dearne Allotment Group was engaging,16-28 children every week on average, and 12 adults with learning difficulties alongside their carers.  The group also had established a stall to sell their produce. It was noted that links between the project and the community shop were being made.

Goldthorpe Development Group had hosted 3 additional health events and as a result had engaged 562 people to date.  At the recent event, the blood pressure of 50 people had been checked with 9 warranting a referral to their GP.

The advice and guidance service operated by DIAL continued to be delivered, and to date the service had supported 55 individuals with a projected cumulative increase in income of over £100,000 expected.

The Salvation Army Season Hope project had made 90 healthy meals each week, and had four volunteers regularly assisting.  It was noted that Tesco was now providing surplus stock to the project.  The project had made links with DIAL, and an event focused on reducing fuel poverty had been planned.

The Dearne Electronic Community Village workability project had now enrolled 35 learners, all of which were unemployed or receiving Employment Support Allowance.  Support was given in areas such as Job Search and CV writing, and two of those enrolled had already progressed into work.

Members noted that the finance granted to Dearne Valley Bulldogs had led to the granting of a bid from Sport England for £75,000.

DIAL h0urbank had 39 members taking part, and the work being undertaking at Cherry Tree Court was noted. 

18 referrals had been made to the TADS project, with 6 young people receiving intensive support.  Every child engaged had seen an improvement in their health following support given.

Members noted that Citizen’s Advice Bureau had been granted £9,000 to hold a drop in session at Goldthorpe library on a Wednesday, starting in September, 2016. 

RESOLVED that the report be noted.