Agenda and minutes

That the minutes of the Board Meeting held on 16 June 2005, having been circulated, be taken as read and signed as a correct record.

The minutes of the meeting held on 16 June 2005 were agreed as a correct record.

(if any)

(i)         Minute 6 – Sharing a Vision for Customer Service – the Business Transformation Partnership and the Harrow Strategic Partnership

The Chair stated that the Council’s business transformation partner would be invited to attend a meeting of the Board as soon as possible after they had been appointed.

Paper submitted by the Executive Director (People First), Harrow Council.

The Board considered a report of the Executive Director (People First), Harrow Council, which set out proposals for the broad governance arrangements required to support further integrated working between statutory agencies with responsibilities for health and social care services.  The Board was invited to formally adopt the proposals which involved some modification to the way in which relevant HSP workstreams were structured.

Discussion focused on the proposed changes to the HSP structure, and there was concern that the new structure would be unwieldy and difficult to operate.  It was noted that the Healthy Harrow Management Group and the proposed Health and Social Care Integration Board involved largely the same stakeholders.  It was also suggested that there was a need to expand the role of the HSP Management Groups, and to recognise that the HSP Executive had a role in identifying cross-cutting areas across the partnership.  It was therefore proposed that the structure be amended and that the Health and Social Care Integration Board be merged with the Healthy Harrow Management Group; this was agreed.

The Chair indicated that there was also a need to show the HSP Community and Voluntary Sector Forum and Reference Groups in the structure set out at Annex 2 of Appendix 1 to the report.

AGREED: (1) To note that Harrow Council’s Cabinet, at its meeting on 23 June 2005, agreed to the proposals set out in the report and other related proposals and resolved to forward them for consideration and adoption by the Harrow Strategic Partnership Board;

(2) to note that the proposals were also considered and supported by the PCT Board, at their meeting on 21 June 2005;

(3) to note that the proposals have been developed to reflect the broad thrust of current Government guidance and Regulations as they apply both to Children’s Services and to community-based health and social care services for vulnerable adults and older people (Community Care);

(4) to note that the governance arrangements, once agreed, will be incorporated within the terms of a formal partnership Agreement between the Council and the PCT, made under Section 31 of the Health Act 1999, which will provide a broad framework agreement under which further joint-working proposals can be delivered and monitored;

(5) that the proposals, as now amended, be formally approved;

(6) that the proposed revisions to the HSP structure and reporting framework, as now amended, be adopted.

Paper submitted by the Director of Strategy (Urban Living), Harrow Council.

The Director of Strategy (Urban Living), Harrow Council, gave a presentation on this matter in lieu of the written report that had been marked as “To Follow” on the main agenda.

The presentation provided information on the following issues:-

·         the meaning of the term “sustainable development”;

·         the role of the Local Strategic Partnership and the community strategy in contributing to the achievement of sustainable development, as set out in Government guidance;

·         the background to and content of the Local Development Framework (LDF);

·         the relationship between the LDF and the community strategy;

·         factors contributing to the creation of sustainable communities; and

·         work being done to refresh the evidence base and other on-going projects.

Concluding her presentation, the Director of Strategy (Urban Living) offered to provide Board members with a briefing pack or any further information as required.

Discussion focused on issues relating to community engagement and participation.  It was noted that one of the factors contributing to the creation of sustainable communities was the fostering of a “sense of place”, and it was suggested that the many thriving local residents’ associations across the Borough be given funding to do work to help with this.  The need to take advantage of the opportunities arising from London having been awarded the 2012 Olympic Games was also highlighted, together with the need for joined-up working to develop the Borough’s own sporting facilities and open spaces. 

It was confirmed that the Council was looking to get community groups involved in its work on sustainable communities, and it was advised that some of the budget for the development of open spaces would be channelled through such groups.  In addition, this issue would be addressed in the Community Engagement Strategy, due to be published in the autumn.   The work already being done by the Council in conjunction with other West London Authorities in preparation for the 2012 Olympic Games was also outlined.

There was some concern as to how community engagement in strategies such as the Greenbelt Management and Sports and Open Space strategies was facilitated.  The need to break down the process in order to make it manageable from the community’s perspective, and also to engage Ward Councillors, was highlighted.  It was confirmed that work was being done to refine this process.

The Director of Strategy (Urban Living), having been thanked for her presentation, undertook to circulate a briefing pack comprising the slides, and reports on the LDF and Neighbourhood Renewal, to all members of the Board.

AGREED:  That (1) the presentation be noted;

(2) the Director of Strategy (Urban Living) circulate a briefing pack on the Local Development Framework and Sustainable Communities to all members of the Board.

Report of the Policy and Partnership Service, Harrow Council.

The Board received a report of the Director of Organisational Performance, Harrow Council, which advised that Harrow’s expression of interest in participating in the second phase of Local Area Agreements (LAAs) had been successful.  The report outlined the process for now developing Harrow’s LAA, set out the key elements of an LAA, identified lead officers for each of the four blocks of the LAA, and sought approval of the LAA Project Plan.

In response to a number of queries about voluntary sector involvement in the LAA, it was advised that further work would be done on this, in particular at the HSP Summit.  How the themes within each block of the LAA would be decided upon was also queried, since each block of the LAA could involve lots of cross-cutting themes and there were likely to be a lot of bids from the floor at the HSP Summit.  It was advised that a meeting with the Government Office for London (GOL) on 15 August would provide an indication of possible LAA outcomes, and input was also being sought from the lead officers for each block and the Voluntary and Community Sector Forum.  In addition, the need for a strong evidence base to support the selection of the themes was highlighted.

With regard to the project plan, there was concern about some elements of it, and it was suggested that it should be brought back to the HSP Summit for approval to enable Board members to give it further consideration.  In particular, it was suggested that the timetable should be amended, as some of the timescales set out therein were already incorrect, and that it should be redone in a linear format.  There was also concern that the objectives set out in the project plan were too diffuse.  It was clarified, however, that these were the objectives of the project to develop the LAA, not the expected outcomes of the LAA, and that these were objectives that GOL was likely to be looking for.  The need to make this clear when presenting the project plan to people within the Council and partners was emphasised.

Officers were requested to amend the roles and responsibilities set out in the project plan to reflect that the LAA would be signed off by the HSP Board in conjunction with the Council’s Cabinet, not full Council.

AGREED:  (1) To note the key elements of a Local Area Agreement;

(2) to note the process for development of Harrow’s LAA by 28 February 2006;

(3) to note that the lead officers for each of the 4 blocks of the LAA will be:

Report of the Policy and Partnership Service, Harrow Council.

Councillor Marie-Louise Nolan, Communications, Partnership and Human Resources Portfolio Holder, Harrow Council, reported on a number of measures being implemented to ensure that Harrow Council’s Elected Members were kept informed of the work of the HSP.

There was some discussion about the proposal to hold periodic joint meetings between the HSP Board and the Council’s Cabinet, and it was suggested that there should be a similar facility for the HSP Board to meet with the Board of the Primary Care Trust.  Geoff Rose undertook to raise this with the PCT Board.

AGREED:  To note that the HSP Executive, at its meeting on 21 July 2005 agreed the proposals for communication between Harrow Council’s Cabinet and the Harrow Strategic Partnership, as set out in the report.

Report of the Policy and Partnership Service, Harrow Council.

AGREED:  To note that the Harrow Strategic Partnership Executive, at its meeting on 21 July 2005, (1) appointed Joyce Markham as Chair of the Executive for 2005-2006;

(2) appointed Julia Smith as Vice Chair of the Executive for 2005-2006.

The next scheduled meeting of the Board is due to take place at 2.30 pm on Thursday 8 December 2005.

In light of the need to develop the draft Local Area Agreement submission for consultation with central Government and partners by the end of November, it was suggested that the next meeting of the Board, scheduled to take place on Thursday 8 December 2005, may have to be brought forward.  It was also noted that the Board would have an opportunity to meet on the morning of the HSP Summit, to be held on Thursday 8 September 2005.

AGREED:  To note (1) that the next meeting of the Board, currently scheduled to take place on Thursday 8 December 2005, may be brought forward; and

(2) that the Board would have the opportunity to meet on the morning of the HSP Summit, to be held on Thursday 8 September 2005.