Minutes:
Ben Barley, Chief Executive of Voluntary Centre Services, was invited to address the Committee as part of evidence gathering for the Scrutiny Review into Integrated Communities. The following points were noted as part of his presentation:
· there were links between this review and the previously undertaken Scrutiny Review into Social Isolation from the perspective of the services delivered by his organisation;
· in terms of social prescribing, as reflected in the Social Isolation Scrutiny Review, this had moved into a model where funding was provided directly from General Practitioners. This made it easier for his staff to be better integrated and help get referrals through;
· there were seven Neighbourhood Boards in Lincoln located in Abbey, Birchwood, Boultham, Ermine, Moorland, St Giles and Sincil Bank. These Boards had been longstanding ranging from ten to fifteen years;
· the Voluntary Centre Service spent a year supporting Neighbourhood Boards following the City Council’s reorganisation of their provision in the city in order to ensure that all seven could continue to operate. This support had ceased just over a year ago but additional funding had been secured via a Big Lottery Grant which meant that support could still be put in place, albeit at a slightly lower level;
· a network of all Neighbourhood Boards in Lincoln was in place since April 2019 which sought to ensure that they worked together and share good practice. It had helped arrange a variety of events, such as family fun days, coffee mornings, remembrance events and litter picks, for example;
· resilience was one of the largest challenges facing Neighbourhood Boards as they tended to rely upon one or two key people which, for the individuals concerned, could be quite overwhelming. It was difficult to get people to take up these roles and elected members from the City Council had been really supportive. It was acknowledged, however, that these roles needed to be undertaken by members of the community rather than by elected members;
· attracting a younger cohort of people to take up roles was something that Voluntary Centre Services continued to encourage in order to keep Neighbourhood Boards sustainable. It was hoped that a recent campaign would be successful in attracting younger participation;
· the Council’s through its Home and Your Lincoln publications had helped promote the work of Neighbourhood Boards, but it was acknowledged that more needed to be done;
· there were peaks and troughs across the city with regard to how well Neighbourhood Boards were operating.
The Chair invited members of the Committee to ask any questions or make comments.
Question
It was always difficult when volunteers were relied upon for such important services, however, there were such wonderful volunteers out in communities willing to provide support. It was not always possible for people to volunteer, however, for a variety of reasons. Were there any other avenues, such as Colleges for example, that could be targeted through advertising to attract younger people and families into these community roles?
Response
One of the main barriers for young people was that they did not want to attend board meetings. These had therefore been renamed in some cases as ‘Community Action Groups’ or something similar in an attempt to remove the formality associated with board meetings which for some young people could be quite intimidating or perceived as boring.
Question
The Abbey Neighbourhood Board was usually well attended by elected members with three or four members of the community also usually in attendance at meetings. How did Neighbourhood Boards currently engage with the community?
Response
There were a range of different tactics currently used to attract people to participate, but changing the name of board meetings to something more meaningful and engaging may make a difference, ensuring that it represented something relevant that mattered to them. An important aspect regarding their sustainability, however, was ensuring that people regularly attended meetings rather than solely using them as forums to raise a single issue on something and not engage with other aspects of the Board.
Comment
Neighbourhood Boards should perhaps consider holding more celebration events, which could be low cost events on green spaces in communities.
Response
The Neighbourhood Board at Ermine had done this fantastically and, over time, members of the Board had come together to hold two successful family fun days and were now considering what future events could be put in place.
Comment
The same problems with a lack of engagement were prevalent at the Birchwood Neighbourhood Board. A series of leaflets had been developed through engagement with students which would be sent to every property in the area to raise awareness of the Board. People tended to forget that the Board was there so it was hoped that these leaflets would remind members of the community of its existence in order that they had the opportunity to participate and shape it for what local people needed or wanted.
Comment
The term ‘Community Action Group’ sent a much more positive and approachable message out to people which could attract more participation and contributions from the community.
Question
Had any work been undertaken with Childrens’ Centres?
Response
Work had been undertaken to look into whether a young network of people could be established, linking in with establishments such as Childrens’ Centres. This raised questions as to how it could be properly supported and who would take responsibility for it. This had previously been attempted in St Giles, however, at that time it proved to be unsustainable.
Question
What happened in those areas where there were no Neighbourhood Boards? How did things get started in those areas without such a body?
Response
The network currently in place was already in the process of working with other areas of the city, such as Hartsholme for example, which was at a very early stage of discussion and development.
The information collated as part of this item was noted.