Minutes:
Councillor C Marshall
Further to a previous question to full council and a letter in which I referenced the Sniperley development sent to the Leader, could the relevant cabinet member please provide an update on the planning application for the strategic housing site at Sniperley? Is the Council at risk of non-determination? What costs are the Council exposed to and what is the risk of the extensive community benefits from the scheme being scrapped by the delays in bringing forward the planning application to committee?
Councillor C Marshall was not in attendance and therefore it was noted that a written response to his question would be provided.
Councillor J Miller
Can the Cabinet member for Equality and Inclusion explain how the Poverty Action Plan addresses the concerns raised in the Food Action Plan Motion put forward to Full Council in September 2021?
Councillor A Shield, Portfolio Holder for Equality and Inclusion thanked Councillor Miller for his question and provided the following response:
Rising food, fuel and energy costs caused by geo political economic factors driving up inflation is undoubtedly having a significant impact on all households across our county, impacting most acutely on those more financially vulnerable households.
There are several mechanisms already in place to support those who face food insecurity across County Durham – some are Government funded, some are Council funded initiatives, some are being delivered by key partners and we also have the Welfare Assistance Scheme in place to support those without access to enough money to provide basic household essentials, including food.
One of the key actions in the Child Poverty Strategy is to increase take up of free school meals plus other pupil premium based benefits for those who are eligible, and we also work closely with the Foodbanks across County Durham plus charities such as That Bread and Butter Thing. The Chief Executive of that organisation will be attending the Poverty Action Steering Group next month to update us on the work they are doing at a national level to inform our local approach.
There is also a food partnership, Food Durham, which brings together key organisations within Durham, with the aim of reducing food waste, improving access to healthy, fresh food and to ensure that those struggling financially have access to food. They have a network of organisations that deliver projects and initiatives around food and are developing a strategy which we need to align with as part of our partnership approach.
The current consultation exercises for both the refresh of the Council’s overarching Poverty Strategy and Action Plan and the child poverty plan include actions which specifically address food security – however, the consultation process is designed to understand what more needs to be done to use the resources we have as a Council and through our partners, to go further. We have been keen to ensure that we engage with all our Area Action Partnerships to gain that vital local information and intelligence and build on local initiatives already in place to inform our strategy refresh.
The consultation responses will be brought back to cabinet in November with an updated strategy and action plan; this will include a specific food strategy to underpin the wider actions to address poverty.
I would urge all Members to put forward their views as part of the consultation process and to encourage the local community groups you work with, to do the same.
I also want to give some assurance that we are also looking at what we can do, using our Welfare Assistance Reserve, in line with our Poverty Strategy and Action Plan refresh, to provide more ongoing support to those residents that are struggling financially due to the current situation.
Councillor L Hovvels
Can the Cabinet Member for Resources Investment and Assets, please explain what the council strategy is to regenerate our ex-mining villages, by redeveloping or demolishing vacant buildings such as Blue Bell School in Trimdon Grange instead of leaving them to become a target for anti-social behaviour?
Councillor J Rowlandson, Portfolio Holder for Resources, Investment and Assets thanked Councillor Hovvels for her question and provided the following response:
The council will be aware that we are currently in the middle of a process of developing the first Inclusive Economic Strategy for the county and as part of that process we been undertaking a four-month conversation with key stakeholders, residents and communities.
Over 1500 people completed the questionnaire and a further 1500 people engaged in structured events during the consultation process. One of the key issues which has come out is the importance of creating attractive and sustainable communities and this includes a number of former mining villages.
Members will be able to contribute to the next stage of development of the strategy in advance of Cabinet being asked to agree the final version in the autumn and I would expect Councillor Hovvels and other members will actively engage in the strategy process.
The issue of specific vacant properties across the county is one that we need to deal with on an individual basis and the relevant officers will contact Councillor Hovvels to discuss the issue in Trimdon Grange.