To receive an update from the Assistant Director – Wellbeing and Community Leadership and the Healthy Living Strategic Lead.

The Chairman welcomed Emily Spicer, Assistant Director (Wellbeing and Community Leadership), Roxanne Warrick (Healthy Living Strategic Lead) and Councillor William Gray (Portfolio Holder for Communities and Better Ageing) to the Meeting. 

Councillor William Gray presented Members with an update on South & East Lincolnshire Partnership’s Healthy Living Board and recommendations from SELCP joint scrutiny’s review of Health & Wellbeing across the subregion, pages 61 to 80 of the Agenda refer.

Members were advised that the South & East Lincolnshire’s Healthy Living Board was established to provide a sub-regional platform for health, local government and third sector organisations to come together to reduce health inequalities and improve health outcomes in South and East Lincolnshire, and that the report was being presented to each of the South & East Lincolnshire Partnership’s sovereign Scrutiny Committees.

Councillor William Gray drew Members attention to recommendation seven regarding further developing district councils’ preventative approach to poor health, reduce risk of exclusion and prevent pressure on local services, pages 65 and 66 of the Agenda refers. 

The Assistant Director (Wellbeing and Community Leadership) referred Members to Appendix 1 - Lincolnshire District Councils’ Health & Wellbeing Strategy Executive Summary, Appendix 2 - SECLP Healthy Living Board Terms of Reference and Appendix 3 which provided a background on the Campus for Future Living, pages 71 to 80 of the Agenda refer.

The Chairman further advised Members that discussion on the Campus for Future Living would take place in the upcoming Agenda Item.

Members were invited to put their comments and questions forward.

• Members spoke in appreciation of the digital inclusion and work undertaken in the local area.

• A Member voiced concerns that report authors did not always go out and speak with people on the ground to gain different perspectives.  In response, the Assistant Director (Wellbeing and Community Leadership) assured Members that report writers were regularly out in the field and speaking to people to understand the challenges. 

• A Member highlighted the issues with inequality on the east coast and the difficulties in attracting people into the area for employment.

• A Member further highlighted the issues people were experiencing with debt and the need for support.  In response, the Healthy Living Strategic Lead assured Members that the Council had been working with Lincs Digital and funding the drop-in sessions for a number of years to assist with this. 

• A Member voiced concerns that Lincs Digital had ceased providing services in Louth due to failing to meet Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).  In response, the Assistant Director (Wellbeing and Community Leadership) advised the Committee that Members feedback was always valuable in learning ways in which the Council could improve. 

The Healthy Living Strategic Lead assured Members that Lincs Digital had not been permanently stopped in Louth and that they were balancing high demand for when services would return.

• In relation to debt advice, a Member highlighted the lack of information available for contacting Citizens Advice in Louth when the office was closed.  In response, the Assistant Director (Wellbeing and Community Leadership) advised Members that face-to-face appointments were available through the telephone booking service and that the Council continued to fund Citizens Advice who was the local delivery partner for the government’s money advice and pension service debt advice.

Members were further advised that additional information would be circulated following the Meeting and through Members’ Point Brief (MPB) on the services provided by Citizens Advice in the local area and how to make referrals for debt advice.

• A Member highlighted the potential for disconnects between the Council and the Community and the need to inform Members of opportunities to interact with neighbourhoods and local communities.

• The Chairman commented that Lincs Digital was very effective in keeping people informed.  In response, Councillor William Gray as Portfolio Holder for Communities and Better Ageing explained to Members that MPB was also being used to provide information on when and where neighbourhood walkabouts were taking place.

• A Member commented on the benefits of identifying who the neighbourhood officers were for Platform Housing.  In response, Councillor William Gray as Portfolio Holder for Communities and Better Ageing explained to Members that the neighbourhood officers were always the first point of contact, and that feedback would be provided to Platform Housing to make sure that residents were kept informed.

• A Member commented that the font in MPB was too small to read and that MPB could contain too much information for Councillors to digest.  In response, the Assistant Director (Corporate) advised Members that the font would be made larger in future editions of MPB.

• A Member queried the format in which digital newsletters were accessible for people who could not read and write.  In response, Councillor William Gray as Portfolio Holder for Communities and Better Ageing advised Members that special arrangements were in place for people that needed assistance.  Claire Woodward, Director of Community Investment from ACIS Group assured Members that communication needs were surveyed when new residents signed up to their service so that communication methods could be tailored to individual needs.

• The Chairman commented that it would be beneficial for the Citizens Advice office in Louth to have a sign on the door to inform people how to seek support when they were closed.

No further comments or questions were received.

The Chairman thanked the Assistant Director (Wellbeing and Community Leadership) for an excellent report.

Following which it was,

RESOLVED:

That the report be noted.