Agenda item

We received a report regarding the newly formed Community and Partnership Development Team within Monmouthshire County Council.

The Area Committee was informed that public service delivery is changing.  With an ageing population, reducing budgets and ever increasing demand, dependency upon public services is increasing when budgets are decreasing. 

As a local authority we need to rethink our relationship with our local communities to enable us to successfully redesign our services.  We need to think longer term about how we work together to identify and co-produce the right services that will help us tackle the challenges that lie ahead. 

As the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act requires co-delivery with partners, the historic disconnect between the Public Services Board (PSB), the Authority and the local community needs to be addressed. To enable this, community engagement has been repositioned within a more centralised role. 

The new team also provides:

• Specialist support in strategic PSB areas such as health and wellbeing issues, isolation, ageing well and community cohesion.

• Support for the Authority in its Cluster Area activities.

• More direct Town / Community Council engagement / liaison to increase knowledge of needs and priorities and ensure these can feed into strategic decision-making at local authority and PSB level. 

Having received the report, the following points were noted:

·         When the Monmouthshire Wellbeing Plan has been established, key performance indicators will be put in place, as well as a structure, which will determine how the Team will work.

·         The Area Committee was pleased that the Team had been established which could provide a steer in respect of the various plans within the Bryn y Cwm Area.  The Team will act as enablers, unlocking potential and supporting sustainability through collective impact, providing a resource and tangible link between local communities and a wide range of partners, enabling the delivery of measureable and sustainable programme of activities that will constantly look to the future.

·         Consultation in respect of the Wellbeing Plan needs to include the views of disabled people.

·         The Team will be able to help with engagement with partners and champions of wards within the community.

·         The Area Committee considered that a regular agenda item be placed on future Area Committee agendas regarding the development of the Wellbeing Plan, as it relates to the Bryn y Cwm area.

·         It was noted that Abergavenny Town Council’s Plan was currently being prepared, which will be completed in 12 months. The Area Committee suggested that Abergavenny Town Council could present the Town Plan to future Area Committee meetings.

·         Consultation in respect of the Wellbeing Plan will be commence on 7^th February 2018 with a view to the final draft being presented to the Public Service Board (PSB) on 4^th April 2018.

We resolved that:

(i)            a regular agenda item be placed on future Area Committee agendas regarding the development of the Wellbeing Plan as it relates to the Bryn y Cwm area.

(ii)          the Democratic Services Officer contacts the Clerk to Abergavenny Town Council to ask if the Town Council would be willing to present its Town Plan to future Area Committee meetings.