Issue - meetings

To enable Cabinet to give consideration to requests made to it by the Community Leadership and Partnerships Committee in respect of the above.

That the recommendations of the Leisure and Partnerships Portfolio Holder be approved.

Cabinet was informed that,at the meeting of the Community Leadership and Partnership Committee held on 20 February 2017 the Council’s Head of Environmental Services (John Fox) had introduced the Council’s Public Health Improvement Co-Ordinator (Cassie Barrett) and Essex County Council’s Interim Public Health Specialist (Laura Taylor-Green) to the Committee and had given an overview of their respective roles.

The Council’s Public Health Improvement Co-Ordinator had then given a presentation to the Committee on Public Health. That presentation had covered the following:

(1) Public Health in Tendring – Local Priorities;

(2) Clacton Seafront Parkrun;

(3) Breastfeeding Welcome Scheme;

(4) Making Every Contact Count (MECC) – Partnership with Provide and Essex County Council Commissioner;

(5) Housing and Hazard Awareness Project;

(6) Upcoming Projects; and

(7) Health and Wellbeing Board.

Officers had then responded to questions raised by Members on various issues which had included:

• Ensuring that the approach to Public Health was district wide;
• Community transport options;
• Reaching out to, and including, those who live in the rural areas of the District;
• Funding for outdoor Gyms;
• Mental Health in Schools; and
• Production of a Health and Wellbeing Strategy.

The Committee had agreed to make the following comments to Cabinet:

(a)  look at ways to ensure that public health projects are available across the district;

(b)  look at ways of measuring the success of the work carried out; and

(c)  note concerns that funding was currently in place for a fixed term only and the implications for the future provision of the Public Health Improvement Co-ordinator post.

The Cabinet had before it the following recommendations of the Leisure and Partnerships Portfolio Holder:

“(a)      The Portfolio Holder liaises with officers to ensure that public health projects continue to be implemented across the District.

(b)        The projects continue to be monitored through the Corporate Performance Report and, if necessary, through the local Health and Wellbeing Board alongside evaluation of the projects being undertaken.

(c)        The Council uses its influencing role to liaise with Essex County Council and uses the evaluation of projects to demonstrate outcomes and urge ECC to further fund this post at the end of the current term.”

Having considered the comments of the Community Leaderships and Partnerships Committee and the recommendations of the Leisure and Partnerships Portfolio Holder:

It was moved by Councillor McWilliams, seconded by Councillor G V Guglielmi and:

RESOLVED that the recommendations of the Leisure and Partnerships Portfolio Holder be approved.