Agenda and minutes

            The Minutes from the meeting held on 8 March 2010 having been printed and circulated, signed as a correct record.

            It was reported that there had been no public questions.

There are no minutes from the Executive Board or Executive Board Sub-Committee that are relevant to the Employment, Learning, Skills and Community PPB, since the last meeting.

            The Board was informed that there were no minutes from the Executive or Executive Board Sub-Committee that were relevant to the Employment, Learning, Skills and Community PPB since the last meeting of the Board.

            In receiving the minutes of the Employment, Learning and Skills Specialist Strategic Partnership from the 22^nd March 2010 the following points were discussed:

·        LPSA2 proposals;

·        Changes in how the SSP would be serviced in terms of the efficiency review and the new Council’s administration arrangements;

·        The loss of Working Neighbourhood Funds (WNF) which would cease after March 2011, it was noted that officers would explore projects that had been successful with a hope to continue into the future sourcing funding from other streams; and

·        There were currently proposals being suggested for development sessions to look at projects in order to assess qualities and quantities terms.

            RESOLVED: That the SSP minutes be received.

            The Board considered a report of the Strategic Director, Adults and Community which proposed a topic brief in order to carry out the following:-

·        Review current employment opportunities for people with a learning or physical disability or mental health issues in Halton;

·        Develop an understanding of the financial processes around employment for these specific groups;

·        Consider best practice and local examples in terms of supporting people into employment;

·        Develop an understanding of corporate responsibilities in supporting vulnerable people into employment; and

·        Devise a series of recommendations and an accompanying action plan to improve the Authority’s performance in relation to supported employment opportunities.

            The Board was advised that as part of a Care Quality Commission Performance Assessment carried out in 2008, it was noted that while Halton had supported more people with learning or physical disability or mental health issues into employment than was predicted, performance was still lower than comparative. Resulting in the formation of an Employment Topic Group. The report also set out the methodology, membership of the Employment Topic Group.

            A scrutiny review of employment practices for people with learning or physical disabilities or mental health issues was appended to the report for consideration. The report consisted of an introduction, a brief summary of the methodology, description of current practice and performance, evidence analysis and findings and conclusions with recommendations. Appended to the report were also Topic Brief presentations and an action plan.

            The Board was also informed that Officers from Salford had visited Halton to do a presentation regarding this topic and a visit to Derby County Council and Lancashire County Council had been arranged to obtain other ways of practice with similar models of implementing action plans of this nature.

            Arising from consideration of the action plan, Members noted the following:-

·        in relation to action no. 23, it was noted that extra care must be given in terms of staff working in a hygienic environment for example, handling food;

·        with regard to recommendation 14, the lower rate and higher rate of permitted earnings for people with disabilities was considered;

·        as there were many other venues in the Borough carrying out similar schemes already employing people with disabilities or learning difficulties, it was felt that the good news stories should be publicised more widely with a hope to stimulating more people to return to work;

·        a short DVD had been produced featuring learning disabilities in work which demonstrated there were examples of people in work and this could be promoted more widely.

·        in relation to current performance and, in particular, NI146 Members considered the reported outturn for 2008/09 being 4.12% compared with the North West average of 6.6%;

·        linkages between long term employment and depression;

·        invest to save and how community Cafes can be enabled to develop business plans, pay wages and encourage staff to move from receiving incapacity benefits in order to work;

·        possibility of rolling out models for inside other venues such as independent Community Centres.

            The Board wished to thank the team for a  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

            The Board received a report of the Strategic Director, Adults and Community which provided an update on the information gathering day and Gifted and Talented Provision as a result of a previous presentation to the Board regarding the approach of the Council’s CYP Directorate to Gifted and Talented Young Sports Persons. Arising from this, a reference day was organised for April to receive evidence from Sports Practitioners, details of the day were appended to the report for information.  

            Arising from the discussion, the Board considered various issues such as funding to support training etc, opportunities for children who can excel in any sports, not just the basic ones carried out at school, the cross-identification of talent through other activities, information and encouragement provided to children in relation to clubs outside of school activities, and the lack of linkages between volunteers who run sports clubs and the staff in schools in a position to identify gifted and talented children in sports.

            The Board felt that all these observations could be drawn together into a partnership and it would be beneficial for a plan to be developed for further consideration of these issues.

            RESOLVED: That

1)     the Board note the initial findings of the information gathering day; and

2)     an action plan be developed for further consideration of issues highlighted with an emphasis on linking sports clubs with schools and volunteers.

            The Board considered a report of the Strategic Director, Environment and Economy which detailed the findings and recommendations of the Barriers to Work Scrutiny Topic Group that was established to consider the Halton Neighbourhood Management Employment Focus Group (HNMEFG). It was further noted that research was undertaken by Mott McDonald MIS in 2008 on behalf of the Employment Learning and Skills Specialist Partnership.

            The Board was advised that HNMEFG was commissioned by the Specialist Strategic Partnership to help better understand why worklessness was so high in the Neighbourhood Management Area Priority Lower Super Output areas (LSOAs) where worklessness was higher than 25%. The research was commissioned through the Merseyside Information Services (the results of which were detailed in Appendix 1 for consideration).

            Outlined in the report for consideration were 14 key recommendations which were considered and scrutinised by the Board. Arising from the discussion, the following points were noted:

·        the implications if funding cuts were implemented in the future;

·        the importance of supporting NEET (Not in Education Employment or Training) people;

·        the importance of helping people over the age of 25;

·        re-size and resource implications in the current economical climate which was an issue for organisations as a whole; and

·        workforce planning and workforce development.

            In relation to Recommendation 5.9, the Board stressed the importance of reducing the requirements for agency staff employing and employing as many staff as possible on a permanent basis. Members also felt uncomfortable with the wording of the last sentence in Recommendation 5.9 and requested that the word “casual” be deleted in order that the sentence read as follows “including the visibility of HPIJ establishing a bank of workers paid directly through the Council payroll system to be deployed as appropriate in Council departments”.

            The Board commended the Topic Group on an informative piece of work.

            RESOLVED: That

1)     the key recommendations detailed in paragraphs 5.1 to 5.14 of the Scrutiny Topic Group be approved and forwarded for consideration to the Executive Board at the next available meeting; and

2)     in relation to 5.9 in the last sentence the word “casual” be deleted.

            The Board considered a report of the Strategic Director, Environment and Economy which set out the Annual Report for 2009/10.

            RESOLVED: That the Annual Report be received.

            The Board considered a report of the Strategic Director, Environment and Economy which provided information on the new Lead Accountable Body (LAB) role for local authorities from August 2011 for the management of all public funded Adult Learning provision in the local area.

            The report outlined what the Learning Revolution White Paper set out, in that it was a new vision for informal adult learning. It was noted that the Government had consulted local authorities and other key delivery organisations on its proposals and the outcome was that the majority of local authority responses expressed the aspiration to take on strategic and operational leadership of informal learning. 

            Furthermore, the detailed suggestions of what local authorities aimed to do, listed the 3 separate agencies that the Learning and Skills Council was replaced by and provided supporting information including details of funding that was currently allocated to Informal Adult Learning in Halton.

            The Board discussed the Lead Accountable Bodies report and agreed that the new role be forwarded to Executive Board as a Key Decision for 2010/2011.

            RESOLVED: That

1)     The report be noted; and

2)     the PPB recommend to the Executive Board that the new role on the Lead Accountable Bodies for the authority be taken as a Key Council decision for 2010/2011.

            The Board considered a report of the Strategic Director, Environment and Economy which provided an update regarding the work undertaken since July 2009 in identifying the current, and modelling the future, skills needs of the Science, Technology and Advanced Manufacturing (STAM) Sector in Halton.  The report also outlined the STAM routeway aimed at supporting local residents into employment within the STAM industries.

            It was reported that the recommendations would help support the development of a clearly defined routeway of opportunities within STAM related sectors and would allow Halton’s young people and adults, particularly those who were long term unemployed, to gain the skills needed to take up these employment opportunities.

            The Board discussed employment data, learning for older people and the possibility of locating comparable information from nearby local authorities such as St Helens MBC.  Members also queried development of science and technology websites and the following sites were noted; www.wheresciencesucceeds.co.uk and www.scipodonline. The Board agreed people should be encouraged to work in Halton and inspirational levels of youngsters in the Borough should be raised and the recommendations outlined in item 5 of the report be progressed.

            RESOLVED: That

1)     The development of a STAM routeway detailing the opportunities and qualifications available in the borough to enable a young person or adult to acquire the right skills and experiences to gain employment in the STAM sectors;

2)     A launch event to promote the STAM routeway and enthuse local people about working within the STAM industries;

3)     The involvement of all schools with this agenda, particularly in relation to information, advice and guidance; and

4)     The merging of Halton’s Science Action Group (HSAG) with the Skills for the STAM sector Steering Group – to bring greater coherence to the STAM agenda.

            The Board received a report of the Strategic Director, Resources which provided information of the progress towards meeting Halton’s sustainable Community Strategy targets at 2009 -10 financial year end.

            The Board was advised that, in considering the report, Members needed to be aware of the following:-

• All the measures within the National Indicator Set were monitored through Quarterly Departmental Service Plan Monitoring Reports. The purpose of the report was to consolidate information on all measures and targets relevant to this PPB in order to provide a clear picture of progress; and

• In some cases, outturn data could not be made available and there were also some Place Survey based indicators for which information would not become available until 2010, i.e. the next date the survey was due to be undertaken.

            The Board was further advised that it was important that progress was monitored and that Members were satisfied that adequate plans were in place to ensure that the Council and its partners achieved the improvement targets that had been agreed.

            RESOLVED:

1)     the report be noted; and

2)     the action being taken to achieve Halton’s LAA targets be noted.

            The Board considered a report of the Chief Executive on progress against service plan objectives and performance targets. Performance trends/comparisons and factors affecting services for Economic Regeneration and Culture and Leisure for the third quarter were outlined in the report for information.

            In receiving the report Members discussed the following:

• progress against key performance indicators not tallying with the report table. In response it was noted that query would be taken back to the performance unit;
• an insert of abbreviations of the acronyms, prior to the performance table would be helpful;
• in relation to page 134 Members queried the calculations for ERLI113, it was reported that the formula for calculating cost per job and safeguarded jobs was as follows: Cost £64,747 divided by jobs create/safeguarded = 787 therefore creating the figure 82.27 as reported.  It was also noted that the Audit Commission no longer used this indicator;
• Members requested a summary of figures for enrolments for the current academic year;
• the Board also pointed out that some performance data was given in percentages and figures and felt it would be more consistent to use one format in order to compare, in addition it was noted it would be helpful to provide comparisons against similar authorities; and
• Members requested to see the split between the number of jobs created in the borough and the number of jobs retained in borough.

It was reported that further discussion on the use and appropriateness of indicators and how they were presented to the Policy and Performance Board would take place through the performance sub-group,

RESOLVED: That the fourth quarter monitoring reports be received.