Issue - meetings

(Cllr Brown declared a disclosable pecuniary interest in relation to the following item, being an employee of Lancashire County Council working with children and young people, and left the meeting room at this point.)

The Committee considered responding to a stakeholder consultation by Lancashire County Council with regard to its Wellbeing, Prevention and Early Help Service.

Officers had prepared a suggested response to the ‘question and answer’ style consultation which Members went through question by question.

The Committee agreed the tick boxes as suggested, however they made the following changes to the responses in some of the ‘free text’ boxes:-

To add to the text box (on Page 46 of the agenda):

“The most emphasis should be on providing family support.”

To amend the last sentence in the first text box (on Page 49 of the agenda) to say:

“Further analysis needs to be undertaken to ensure provision is accessible to those most in need, in consultation with local councillors. We would stress the importance of preventative work.”

To change the text box regarding engaging local communities from ‘no specific comments’ to:

“Please consult with District and Parish Councillors.”

To amend the final text box regarding any other issues to read:

“Lancaster City Council understands the positive impact early help and wellbeing can have on children and young peoples’ lives. We also know that families receiving inadequate help and support can lead to a worsening quality of life for those families and very quickly spiral into unhealthy or chaotic lifestyles, ultimately requiring acute social care, health services, housing support and probation services.

We would request that the wellbeing services engage with City Council staff and Councillors. We would also point out that there are plans for more housing in the district and are not clear whether this has been factored in to the proposals.”

Resolved:

That the changes, detailed above, be made to the consultation response and that the response be submitted to the County Council.

(Councillor Brown returned to the meeting room at this point.)