Locality Planning
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AGENDA ITEM NO: 12 Report To: Inverclyde Alliance Board Date: 11 December 2017 Report By: Aubrey Fawcett Report No: Chair of Programme Board Contact Officer: Miriam McKenna Contact No: 01475 712042 Subject: Locality Planning 1.0 PURPOSE 1.1 The purpose of this report is to update the Board on progress being made in the development of the Locality Plans and the locality planning process. 2.0 SUMMARY 2.1 As part of the Community Planning element of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015, the Inverclyde Alliance has a responsibility to develop locality plans for those areas of Inverclyde which experience the greatest inequalities. Data shows us that those areas are Port Glasgow, Greenock East and Central, and Greenock South and South West. 2.2 The Health and Social Care Partnership also have to work to localities and reconsider their localities and are progressing wellbeing localities of Inverclyde East, West and Central, which the areas listed above slot into as sub-localities, or wellbeing communities. Appendix 1 sets out the different levels of locality focus and Appendix 2 sets out the localities against datazones, which are being used to gather data and target focus. 2.3 Locality Plans were to have been published by 1 October 2017, but due to a number of factors this has not been possible. Part of the delay is the need to ensure that the locality plans are truly driven by communities themselves, and work is ongoing to set up locality groups who can finalise the development of the plans and who can be responsible for delivering them. 2.4 A sub-group of the Community Engagement Network has been meeting to progress how robust engagement can take place with communities, building on the feedback from the Our Place, Our Future community engagement and strategic needs analyses of each of the locality areas. Assets are also being mapped to each area, and communities will be fundamental in ensuring that all the community assets in their area are identified. 2.5 Locality Partnerships will be established in the three wider localities, but there will be a focus on reducing inequalities in each, and specific locality plans can be drawn up for the three sub- localities/wellbeing communities for community planning purposes. There will be 50% representation by communities and 50% public sector partners on the partnerships. 2.6 Robust and effective support is required to ensure the Locality Partnerships are successful, and this will require the input of resources from partners. 2.7 Paragraph 4 explores some of the options for the delivery of Locality Planning in Inverclyde. 1 3.0 RECOMMENDATIONS It is recommended that the Alliance Board: a. Agrees to support the structure for locality planning in Inverclyde b. Agrees to have officers from each organisation available to attend locality partnership meetings c. Considers how to develop locality planning locally and how this will be resourced, including meeting places, officers and funding d. Identifies which locality partnership it could provide intensive/lead support to. Aubrey Fawcett Chair, Programme Board Chief Executive, Inverclyde Council 2 4.0 BACKGROUND 4.1 Locality Plans require, through the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015, to be developed for those areas in Inverclyde which are experiencing the greatest inequalities. Using data analysis these have been identified as Port Glasgow, Greenock East and Central and Greenock South and South West. 4.2 However, the Health and Social Care Partnership also has to reconsider its localities boundaries. The Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014 sets out that there needs to be a minimum of 2 localities in an area. The HSCP is proposing splitting Inverclyde into three wellbeing localities: Inverclyde East, West and Central. The CPP localities are sub-localities of the HSCP localities. These will be referred to as wellbeing communities. Appendix 1 sets out the different levels of locality focus and Appendix 2 sets out the localities against datazones, which are being used to gather data and target focus. 4.3 Despite the different requirements of the two pieces of legislation, the intention is to take Locality Planning forward together, using the high level localities to bring people together to engage on what is important in local areas in regard to reducing inequalities. Community Planning Locality Plans will be drafted for the sub-localities/wellbeing communities to fulfil the requirement of the Community Empowerment Act, and locality planning will also drive delivery of health and social care services across the localities in East, Central and West. 4.4 Lead officers will be required for each locality partnership and it is hoped that this role will be taken up by community representatives. However they will require to be supported by officers and partners are asked to consider how they might be able to take this role on. There will be support from a community development perspective from variety of different sources in different areas. 4.5 A number of options are currently being explored with regards to obtaining funding that will enable us to progress with carrying out engagement within localities in 2018 and beyond. 4.6 Where there are Community Councils, these will be invited to be involved in the locality partnerships, and other groups will be invited via the Third Sector Interface, Community Learning and Development and other members of the Community Engagement Network e.g. local Tenants’ and Residents’ Associations, local community groups etc. 4.7 It is suggested that partners identify how they will support each locality partnership, particularly if they can take the lead to support community groups and representatives in an intensive way until such time as community representatives feel capable to lead on their own. 4.8 As set out in the Community Empowerment Act, each community planning partner must, in relation to a community planning partnership, contribute such funds, staff and other resources as the community planning partnership considers appropriate – a) With a view to improving, or contributing to an improvement in, the achievement of each local outcome referred to in section 6(2)(a) (the local outcomes improvement plan), and b) For the purpose of securing the participation of community bodies mentioned in section 4(6)(a) (in particular those who represent the interest of persons who experience inequalities of outcome which result from socio-economic disadvantage) in community planning. It is important, if the delivery of the IOIP and locality plans is to make a difference to the inequalities experienced by people living in the communities outlined above, to ensure that community involvement is well supported and resourced. 5.0 NEXT STEPS 5.1 A subgroup of the Community Engagement Network has been meeting to organise events to raise awareness of the locality planning process in order to set up groups for engagement in the new year. This will have to be arranged in such a way as not to clash with Inverclyde Council’s budget 3 engagement, but will involve different methods of engagement. Conversations cafes will be used to set the scene, summarising the information gathered through Our Place Our Future, other engagement processes, the strategic needs analysis of each sub-locality area and asset mapping. 5.2 It will be important to be able to take information to communities to tell them what is already happening around the areas highlighted in the Our Place Our Future engagement (which was reported to the last meeting of this Board) and to address the key issues identified by strategic needs analysis. Partners are asked to provide information on what they are delivering now and plan to deliver over the next three years in response to the key issues. This will allow for informed discussion to take place. It may also allow community groups to identify where they might want to use a Participation Request to influence the development and delivery of services locally. 5.3 The locality partnerships will be responsible for developing an action plan to be delivered by all partners; some actions by communities alone, some by public or third sector partners alone and some joint actions to be delivered by communities and public/third sector partners together. 5.4 In addition to exploring participation request opportunities, locality planning could be used to develop approaches to participatory budgeting (PB). There will be opportunities for partners to pool resources to take forward initiatives, or for individual partners to identify where PB at a locality level might be used to direct service budgets or other resources. 6.0 IMPLICATIONS Legal: none at present Finance: Under the legislation introduced by the Community Empowerment Act each community planning partner must contribute such funds, staff and other resources as the community planning partnership considers appropriate. Human Resources: none at present Equality and Diversity: all effort will be made to ensure that all protected characteristics are represented or factor into the engagement via the locality partnerships. Repopulation: none at present Inequalities: the locality plans will be focused toward reducing inequalities in the locality areas. 7.0 CONSULTATIONS 7.1 The Our Place, Our Future engagement will inform the development of the locality plans, alongside the town centre charrettes and other engagement undertaken by all partners. 8.0 LIST OF BACKGROUND PAPERS 8.1 Our Place Our Future Survey Results, Inverclyde Alliance Board, 2 October 2017