Issue - meetings

The Cabinet considered a report of Patrick Clark Consulting which provided an evaluation of the two neighbourhood area committee (NACs) pilots and proposed a way forward for year 2.

The Leader of the Council advised that there was now a need to formalise the operating procedures for the NACs, including setting core objectives and terms of reference for all NAC pilots.  A further pilot was proposed for Hagley and Rural area, the specific geographics of which had yet to be determined and would be subject to consultation with the appropriate bodies.  A stakeholder event to consider the longer term approach to NACs, was supported and the Leader stressed the importance of consulting with residents to ascertain local priorities and highlighted issues surrounding the future resourcing of the NACs, particularly senior officer and administrative support. 

RESOLVED:

(a)       that authority be delegated to the Assistant Chief Executive to prepare a set of core objectives and terms of reference for all Neighbourhood Area Committee (NAC) pilots, the emphasis of which should be:

(i)         to enable the NACs to operate tactically between the strategic role of the Bromsgrove Partnership and individual partner agencies but not duplicate the efforts of either, nor the operational and local role of PACT and other community fora; and

(ii)        to ensure the primacy of elected members of all tiers of local government;

(b)       that authority be delegated to the Assistant Chief Executive to undertake an appropriate consultation exercise (to include consultation with Hagley Parish Council, the County Association of Local Councils and the County Council) with a view to rolling out a further pilot NAC for Hagley and Rural area;

(c)        that following such a consultation exercise, authority be delegated to the Assistant Chief Executive in consultation with the Leader, to establish a further pilot NAC in Hagley if it is considered appropriate to do so;

(d)       that funding for NACs be agreed as follows:

(i)         £15,000 for the Alvechurch NAC for the year 2008-9;

(ii)        £15,000 for the Rubery NAC for the year 2008-9; and

(iii)       £4,000 for the Hagley NAC for the year 2008-9;

            and that authority be delegated to the Assistant Chief Executive to make payments from those funds on receipt of a request from the relevant NAC;

(e)       that a stakeholder event be held in order to consider the approach to NACs beyond 2008-9;

(f)        that the Assistant Chief Executive assists all NACs to develop a simple, cost effective form of consulting residents on priorities in order to shape Area Plans; and

(g)       that each NAC receives senior level officer support and administrative support which will be resourced from the funding identified in recommendation (d) above, subject to a further review by the Corporate Management Team of the level of senior officer and administrative support required as NACs are further expanded across the District.