Community Engagement Report – Together We Can Seascale
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COUNTY COUNCIL LOCAL COMMITTEE FOR COPELAND Meeting date: 11 April 2011 From: Chief Executive COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT REPORT – TOGETHER WE CAN SEASCALE 1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1.1 This reports provides members with a summary of the Seascale “Together We Can” activities which took place during March 2011. 2.0 STRATEGIC PLANNING AND EQUALITY IMPLICATIONS 2.1 The committee has the delegated executive function “to determine the level and nature of Neighbourhood Development work in the area”. 2.2 There are no equality implications arising out of this report. 3.0 RECOMMENDATION 3.1 That members note and comment as they see fit on the Appendices attached. 4.0 BACKGROUND 4.1 Copeland Local Committee has, for several years, approved and funded the provision of two “Together We Can” projects in communities across Copeland. 4.2 Members have previously received a report on the first project in 2010/11, Frizington. This report provides members with an early report back on the project carried out in Seascale during the week of 14th – 18th March 2011. 4.3 Appendix A reports on the programme of activities which took place under the “Together We Can” banner including some examples of the range of community issues which were reported to the team either in person or via returned survey forms whilst Appendix B gives feedback from the various organisations who took part in the “You Said; We Did” drop-in event. 4.4 The detail collected from community members is used: during the week to solve problems quickly reported to agencies for dealing with after the project week collated together and used to inform locality and area level planning 5.0 OPTIONS 5.1 Members may comment as the wish on this report. 6.0 RESOURCE AND VALUE FOR MONEY IMPLICATIONS 6.1 Local Committee approved funding of £16,660 in June 2010 to support the delivery of the Together We Can initiative. 6.2 There has been additional resource commitment of officer time in support of this project. 6.3 No other additional resource implications arise from this report. 7.0 LEGAL IMPLICATIONS 7.1 The Constitution provides that to encourage community engagement and enable communities to make their voices heard, Local Committees may pursue local initiatives that will encourage and support local communities in their relationships with the Council, Council services and with other public bodies. [CW] 8.0 CONCLUSION 8.1 The “Together We Can” programme is a well regarded badge for a range of intensive activities carried out over a short period of time and involving a number of agencies in a distinct identified community. 8.2 Previous years‟ activities in Millom, Hensingham, Cleator Moor and Frizington have been welcomed by communities and partner agencies alike. Jill Stannard Chief Executive [24 March 2011] APPENDICES Appendix A: Report on Seascale Together We Can Week, 14 - 18 March 2011 Appendix B: Feedback from agencies at the “You Said, We Did” drop in. IMPLICATIONS Electoral Division(s): Seascale & Whicham * Please remove whichever option is not applicable Executive Decision No Key Decision No If a Key Decision, is the proposal published in the current Forward Plan? N/A Is the decision exempt from call-in on grounds of urgency? No If exempt from call-in, has the agreement of the Chair of the relevant N/A Overview and Scrutiny Committee been sought or obtained? Has this matter been considered by Overview and Scrutiny? No If so, give details below. Has an environmental or sustainability impact assessment been N/A undertaken? Has an equality impact assessment been undertaken? N/A N.B. If an executive decision is made, then a decision cannot be implemented until the expiry of the eighth working day after the date of the meeting – unless the decision is urgent and exempt from call-in and the Head of Member Services and Scrutiny has obtained the necessary approvals. PREVIOUS RELEVANT COUNCIL OR EXECUTIVE DECISIONS [including Local Committees] Copeland Local Committee 02.06.2010. CONSIDERATION BY OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY Not considered by Overview and Scrutiny. BACKGROUND PAPERS No background papers. Contact: Jonathan Marriott, 01946 505042 [email protected] Marilyn Pritchard 01946 505023 [email protected] Suzanne Cooper 01946505019 [email protected] Appendix A Seascale Together We Can, 14 - 19 March 2011 This report gives an overview of the Seascale Together We Can week, held from 14 – 19 March 2011. Following on from the Together We Can week delivered in Frizington in January 2011. The timing and content of these weeks has reflected the needs and wishes of the two communities, each profoundly affected by the West Cumbria shootings in June 2010. The week in Seascale was further affected by these events as the enquiry into the shootings was taking place whilst the TwC was happening, this did affect the type of activity we planned. Partners The Seascale week was coordinated by one Neighbourhood Development Officer and one Community Involvement Worker from the team, and involved the following organizations, in alphabetical order: Age UK Active for Life Age UK Promoting Independence & Prevention Project Connexions Cumbria – National Citizens Scheme Copeland Borough Council Coastal Initiative Copeland Borough Council Customer Services Copeland Borough Council Enforcement Team Copeland Borough Council Locality Team Copeland Borough Council Sports Development Copeland Borough Council Waste Management Services Copeland Borough Council Youth Engagement Copeland Citizen‟s Advice Bureau Copeland Community Fund Cumbria Constabulary Cumbria County Council Highways Cumbria County Council Library Service Cumbria County Council Neighbourhood Forums in Copeland Cumbria County Council Public Rights of Way Team Cumbria County Council Passenger Transport Cumbria County Council Trading Standards Cumbria County Council Community Waste Education Officer Cumbria Council for Voluntary Service Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service – Seascale Crew Seascale First Responders Seascale Parish Council Seascale Primary School Shackles Off Youth Centre Shanks Waste Management South Copeland Disability Group Ways into Successful Enterprise West Cumbria Carers Whitehaven, Egremont & District Credit Union Planning We attended a meeting of Seascale Parish Council in September to propose the week in Seascale, and discuss ideas they might have for the week. They came up with Timing – It was agreed to go for week commmencing 14 March 2011 Key Area of focus for the door to door - Hallsenna Road, Hallsenna Lane, Gosforth Road, Santon Way, Lingmell Crescent, Scawfell Crescent, Fell View Road, Wastwater Rise and The Drive Seascale PC were particularly keen to have a drop in information session with as wide a range of organisations and agencies available as possible. We attended a subsequent Parish Council meeting to firm up ideas and to progress planning, and asked the wider public for input and ideas at a special public meeting in November 2010. From this meeting a long list of issues and ideas was compiled and used as a basis to plan the week with partner organisations,. In parallel, we pulled together meetings of partner organisations to see what could be offered, and to build a programme to reach out into and across the community. It was noticeable that, following successes of our previous Together We Can weeks, more organisations were readily willing to commit to the week and the partnership Prior to its start, the Together We Can week was also publicised through the local media, through posters throughout the village and a display in the library, on the Seascale Parish Council Website, and by information through the doors of most of the households in the village. Delivery During the week all properties in the target area were door visited with a doorstep questionnaire, but as many residents were not in we actually knocked on most properties in the village, we achieved 110 replies. If we received no answer, or if residents preferred to answer later, we left the questionnaire with the option to return it to boxes in the Post Office, Library or School, or to post it back to our office. Quite a high proportion of the replies came by these routes – a significant indication that people did want a chance to have their say on local service delivery.12 people from 6 organisations took part in interviewing. The issues highlighted are now being collated for follow up. Many issues such as Highways defects were dealt with throughout the course of the week and the remaining issues have been, or are being, referred on to appropriate organisations. In conjunction with this, the recycling officers from Cumbria County Council and Shanks delivered recycling boxes and „hats‟ (covers) as they were requested. Throughout the week Cumbria Highways were busy fixing potholes, many as they were reported, and remedying other minor defects, including blocked gullies. The Fire and Rescue service provided individual household Fire Safety advice within the target area. Seascale Primary School were very involved in the Together we can week with activies been held everyday that week The week generated a real feel good factor in Seascale, and a core group of residents, including many members of Seascale Parish Council, stayed involved throughout the week. A visible difference has been made, Issues and priorities will be picked up by different partner organisations, and will inform future action – particularly important in the face of budget cuts. All the information from the week is now being collated to feed into future actions, and to feed back to the community of Seascale. Events Round up Area Walk – Monday 14 March Seascale Area Walk Monday 14 March Responses to the questionnaires showed that most residents like living in Seascale and there was an overall satisfaction with the local area. The main issues ranged from a better bus service especially on Sundays and a later service, dog mess on the beach and pavements, litter and the untidy area near the Pharmacy/Fire Station, speeding throughout the village, access under Arch hill, parking around the school and on pavements to requests for a swimming pool, local dentist, and better mobile phone signal.