Agenda item

The Safer and Stronger Community Select Committee’s draft final report has been circulated to all Members under separate cover (Supplementary 1).

The Chair of the Select Committee, Councillor Rodwell, has been invited to the meeting to present the report.

The Lead Member of the Safer and Stronger Community Select Committee, Councillor Rodwell, presented the Select Committee’s final report of its review of community cohesion issues in the Borough and, in particular, how the Council can support the voluntary and community sector in building community cohesion.

The Lead Member conveyed his appreciation for the excellent support that the Select Committee received from officers and the voluntary / community groups throughout the review.  He stated that the report’s 21 recommendations build upon the positive work already underway in the Borough and that he sees the report as just the first stage of an on-going process of review.

In respect of the report’s recommendations the following issues were raised:

·  Recommendation 2 relating to funding issues - The Cabinet Member for Housing stated that he could not support the use of Housing Revenue Account (HRA) funding in the manner proposed for community cohesion initiatives as the HRA is intended directly for housing-related matters.  He added that focussing HRA funds on improvements to the housing stock and estate areas will, in turn, improve people’s perception of their local area and help to build a greater sense of community cohesion as a result.  The Lead Member clarified that the intention is to use the current services that are directly funded by the HRA, such as Tenant Participation, in a more joined up way and not to seek new funding.

·  Recommendation 9 relating to parking issues for Faith Ministers - The Cabinet Member for Regeneration suggested that in the current financial climate the Council should not provide free parking permits but that permits should be purchased from congregation funds where necessary.  The Lead Member clarified that the proposal is only for Faith Ministers that are registered with the Borough’s Faith Forum to be eligible for a parking permit, which currently represents only approximately 25% of the known number of ministries.  He added that the intention is to enable those who require the services and comfort of a minister, often in urgent circumstances, to be able to do so without the burden of having to make special arrangements for the visit, as well as supporting the work of the Faith Forum.

The Lead Member commented that Barking and Dagenham has a high number of religious meeting places but is also recognised as having the lowest community cohesion rating nationally. The Cabinet Member for Customer Services and Human Resources suggested that the national questionnaire used to derive that assessment may have been too direct and should have included more generic questions about people’s friendships, the facilities they use etc..  He also asked whether the pace of demographic change in more recent years and the fact that many residents are new to the Borough are key factors in the poor rating.  The Lead Member acknowledged the points but added that he believed that it is a fair reflection of how people feel at present and the Select Committee’s proposals on behalf of the Council, which has a civic duty to promote cohesion within its community, and the work being undertaken by all agencies, including the voluntary and community sector, are directed at achieving this aim.

The Chair thanked the Lead Member on behalf of the Cabinet for the work of the Select Committee and it was noted that the Cabinet’s comments will be considered alongside the Select Committee’s report at the meeting of the Assembly on 30 March 2011.

(The Cabinet Member for Housing, Councillor Waker, left the meeting at 5.50pm during consideration of this item).