Agenda item

The item was introduced by the Area Council Manager.  It was noted that the report covered the period April-June, 2016 and Members were reminded that Part A of the report provided an overview of the collective impact of the investment made by the Area Council, whilst Part B provided a narrative of the performance of each individual commission.

From Part A, it was noted that 20 community groups had been supported, with 2 of these being new groups.  73 volunteers had been engaged, with 8 of these being new volunteers.   Members noted that the number of residents receiving advice and support was 44, with this increasing every time an advice session was held.

With regards to the information contained within Part B or the report, Members acknowledged that information related to the Countryside Skills commission would no longer be updated as this had now come to an end.

An update of the performance of the Clean and Tidy commission was then provided.  It was noted that most of the RAG ratings which were previously

 ‘Red’ were now ‘Amber’, due largely to an increased number of requests for service.  It was thought that this increase was largely due to more proactive promotion of the service. 

The areas of underperformance were discussed, which tended to be relating to proactive work and to engaging young people, businesses and volunteers.  Assurances had been given at the recent contract management meeting that activities had been planned to address these. 

The meeting noted the case studies provided, and it was thought these were very positive and warranted further circulation, perhaps on the Facebook page of the Area Team.

Members went on to receive an update on the performance of the Advice Drop-in sessions.  It was noted that there had been an increase in numbers accessing the service, and the impact this had on the recipient and on the amount of money being able to be spent within the local economy was acknowledged.

It was noted that officers were undertaking further research into barriers to accessing internet services, which would be considered at a future meeting.  Members discussed the extent of literacy and numeracy problems in the area, and it was agreed that enquiries be made to help understand the extent of the issue.

RESOLVED:-

(i)           That the report be noted;

(ii)          That enquiries be made to relevant officers, to ascertain whether information on the extent of literacy and numeracy problems in the area exists.