Agenda for Culture, Tourism & Enterprise Overview & Scrutiny Committee on Thursday, 31st March, 2011, 4.00pm
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Agenda and minutes
PDF 195 KBVenue: Committee Room 3, Hove Town Hall
Contact: Julia Riches, Scrutiny Support Officer
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Minutes: 51.1 Declarations of Substitutes
There were none. Councillor Craig Turton sent his apologies.
51.2 Declarations of Interests
The following Councillors declared their interests: Marsh was a member of the Brighton Dome Festival Board; Randall is a Trustee of Same Sky and Kennedy a member of the Phoenix.
51.3 Declaration of Party Whip
There were none.
51.4 Exclusion of Press and Public
In accordance with section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, it was considered whether the press and public should be excluded from the meeting during the consideration of any items contained in the agenda, having regard to the nature of the business to be transacted and the nature of the proceedings and the likelihood as to whether, if members of the press and public were present, there would be disclosure to them of confidential or exempt information as defined in section 100I (1) of the said Act.
RESOLVED: That the press and public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of Item 65. |
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MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING Draft minutes from 26 January 2011 – budget. Minutes: 52.1 The minutes from the 26 January 2011 were agreed. |
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CHAIRMAN'S COMMUNICATIONS Minutes: 53.1 Councillor Kennedy, the Committee Chair welcomed everyone to the last meeting before the election and thanked everyone for their commitment and contributions. The Chair went onto say that that Committee had worked well since it was set up after the last election and had proved that there was an important role for scrutiny in policy development.
53.2 The Chair welcomed Councillor Fallon-Khan who would be presenting the City Employment Skills Plan.
53.3 In answer to a question on whether there was an announcement on funding from the Arts Council the Committee were informed by Paula Murray, Commissioner Culture that some organisations like Carousel had uplifts to previous funding received however Same Sky had a reduction in funding and the Basement had been refused their regular funding.
Officers would be working closely with both organisations and an update on this funding issue would be brought to the next CTEOSC. It was also noted that the Council would need to establish a closer relationship with the Arts Council and explore working in a different and better way so that reductions or refusals in funding would not be announced in this way in the future.
A member informed the Committee how it was a surprise that Same Sky had a reduction in their funding considering the work they did with challenging groups of the community.
53.4 Forthcoming events included the Festival, the fringe Festival, Winter Pride, phoenix, Great Escape and the Marathon.
53.5 RESOLVED- The Committee agreed to receive an update on this at the next meeting. |
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PUBLIC QUESTIONS No public questions have been received. Minutes: 54.1 There were none. |
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WRITTEN QUESTIONS FROM COUNCILLORS No written questions have been received. Minutes: 56.1 There were none. |
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LETTERS FROM COUNCILLORS No letters have been received. Minutes: 56.1 There were none. |
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City Employment and Skills Plan Additional documents: Minutes: 57.1 Councillor Fallon-Khan introduced the report, informing the Committee that it was to be noted that this was a significant piece of work that officers had carried out and that there was no requirement to carry out this work. The Plan was put together by analysing new data, which sets the vision for the next 3 years, gave businesses an understanding of the plan and would be a tool to measure success.
Members were informed that there was increasing concern on where apprenticeships fitted into the city’s labour market.
Cheryl Finella, Economic Development Manager told members that the City Employment and Skills Steering Group (CESSG) wanted to ensure that that the plan was driven forward, that funding and the influence to deliver training and skills for the next 3 years was established. The Steering Group had 3 priorities and these were:
1. Promoting the City’s employment and skills needs to internal and external partners and agencies –The role of the City Employment & Skills Steering Group (CESSG), now Chaired by Phil Frier at City College, is key to driving the priorities cited in the City Employment & Skills Plan (CESP). The aim of the CESG is to ensure that the priorities in the plan are addressed by the key funders and influencers of provision relating to skills, employment and business support. The CESSG will also consider opportunities beyond the city such as those being developed through the Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP). The CESSG will inform an emerging Intelligent Commissioning model which will encourage greater levels of joint working to maximise resources. 2. Support the creation of at least 6,000 new quality jobs by 2014 – Supporting the existing business base, encouraging new business start up and inward investment is crucial to meeting the jobs target. The changes to the national Business Link service will mean that local providers need to fill the gap and ensure that businesses have access to the support that they need.
3. Ensure that local residents are equipped to compete in the City’s labour market – The CESP notes that for every 5 new jobs created in the city between 2001 and 2008, there was only1 less person on benefits. This demonstrates that there is a need to revisit some of the services and programmes that exist to help people back into work and create better links between businesses and unemployed residents; examples include apprenticeships. The plan includes actions aimed at supporting people on out of work benefits and young people back into the labour market.
57.2 In
answer to a question on how the local authority was a proactive
facilitator in preparing the 15-21 age group for employment/
apprenticeships opportunities, the Committee were informed that the
Council had recognised the need to develop strong links between
education and the business community. The Education Business
Partnership is working to promote these links
; the plan also includes actions to develop more
apprenticeship opportunities
57.3 In
response to a question on how does the authority see small
businesses branching out and employing others whilst some firms are
not keen to expand, Members were told that there was room for all
types of businesses whether they were small local ones to
international organisations and whether they wanted to grow or not.
Business support organisations need to deliver coherent support
packages. The Brighton & Hove Local Employment Scheme (BLES)
are working closely with employers such as Amex and Mears to ensure
that they provide opportunities for local people to access work
experience and apprenticeships . The
Council has recently agreed a Developer Contributions Guide; the
Guide will require developers to prepare training agreements
detailing training and job opportunities linked to development
sites. The BHLES co-ordinator in
Economic Development will work with developers to meet their
employment needs by ensuring that people were ready with the
relevant skills to be employed by these businesses. The
Co-ordinator will also monitor compliance to ensure that developers
meet their skills and employment obligations. 57.4 In answer to question on how people with mental illness who may have the relevant skills, but not the social skills could be supported to take up these job opportunities, the Committee were informed how Job Centre plus was working with people on incapacity benefit to support these groups to find employment. There was further work with the Children’s Services Trust Board on engaging people with disabilities to see what their needs were. Some of the mental health support services may be losing resources due to the economic climate leading to a lack of capacity to support disabled residents seeking work. The CESSG will be bringing together local agencies to consider how services can best meet the needs of these groups. The Committee agreed for this item to return back to CTEOSC and to consider whether to investigate this further through the formation of a scrutiny panel.
57.5 In
response to a question on Coast to Capital LEP areas and why Lewes
and Newhaven were not included, members were informed that the
boundaries were not solid and work streams may be developed that
include Lewes, especially as Lewes supplies around 7,500 workers to
the city. The LEP is still in its infancy and work streams will
become clearer as it develops; the Surrey districts have recently been added
to the partnership . 57.6 In answer to a question on whether there was member input from the Economic Development Commission or the CESSG Committee were told that the Commission was time bound and the CESSG had member input through the Local Strategic Partnership.
57.7 Councillor Fallon-Khan informed members that an employment event for local businesses was set up with help from the council called Build East Sussex with the aim of highlighting contracting and employment opportunities. The LEP will be looking outward and encouraging international businesses to set up in the city. Other initiatives included City College broadening their range of courses to include technical courses to assist the city in providing a more multi skilled workforce. Parker Steele who were establishing in Shoreham Harbour were hoping to create another 500-600 jobs for the city. The city had been successful in securing the Amex expansion which would be creating another 500 jobs. The City had a lot to offer employers which would help in its regeneration whilst more work needed to be focused on good office accommodation to attract outside businesses into the city.
57.8 RESOLVED – (1) The Committee noted and congratulated officers on the report (2) The Committee agreed for this item to return back to CTEOSC and to consider whether there is the potential for a scrutiny panel to investigate what support there was for unemployed people with disabilities to take up job opportunities.
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CITYCAMP- verbal report Verbal report on CityCamp, Brighton. Minutes: 58.1 David Murray the Strategic Director, Communities introduced the verbal report and answered questions.
58.2 Members were told that the last meeting was held at Brighton University and the main purpose of the meeting was around how data and technology from the council, police, health, third sector and other organisations could be utilised in more challenging ways e.g. to produce various mapping charts of the city by combining data with their partners.
58.3 In answer to a question on how might this data apply specifically to Brighton and Hove, members heard that there were practical application options such as texting into missed bin collections and also by capturing data e.g. the views of residents on their 3 most important things to invest in the city. Some of the submissions received from Make Brighton Rock had been incorporated into the business plan.
58.4 It was noted that it was important to have this information available to everyone and to think about how this information is utilised in the future. A follow up meeting is scheduled for the 7 April.
58.5 RESOLVED – The Committee noted the information and thanks the Strategic Director, Communities. |
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Seafront Strategy - verbal update Verbal update. Minutes: 59.1 Ian Shurrock, Head of Sport and Leisure introduced the presentation and answered questions with Toni Manuel, Seafront Development Manager.
59.2 The Committee were informed that the seafront was of significant importance to the city, it promoted health and economy to the city. The 3 main areas that the seafront strategy needed to focus on was operational management, maintenance and property management. Work was underway on the strategy and that there would be further discussions on this post election.
59.3 In response to a question on how the seasonal challenges affected staffing resources especially through the harsh winter period, members were informed how the core team was enhanced in the summer period to 26 additional seasonal lifeguards and supervisory staff. There was a maintenance programme set up which requires an increase in expenditure in order to meet the challenging coastal environment and winter weather conditions.
59.4 In answer to a question on the diversity of users on the seafront, the Committee heard how the seafront had many attractions from artistic, fishing and sporting quarters to restaurants and bars; providing a variety of attractions for all tourists this was due to the tight clauses within the leaseholds. Currently there were no vacant properties along the seafront.
In answer to a question on not being awarded blue flag status for Brighton & Hove beaches, members heard that due to the water being tested last year after heavy rainfall and problems with one of the Southern Water outlets in Hove affecting the whole of the seafront. Other coastal resorts were also affected in the same way. It was noted that the water quality was still good but not excellent.
59.5 In response to a question on whether there was a programme for maintenance of shelters and railings, members were informed that a one off amount of money had been secured to paint the railings and renovate the shelters. However, the on-going maintenance revenue budget was not sufficient to undertake this task.”
59.6 In answer to a question on whether there could be barbeque stands on the beach, the Committee were told that the tide came up as high as the railings on Hove seafront making it unsuitable to have barbeques on the beach. There were also issues with barbeques on Hove lawns as this damaged the grass. Residents in the neighbouring areas had complained about the smoke. Designated barbeque areas were still under review.
59.7 In response to improving accessibility to the seafront for people with disabilities, Councillor Randall spoke about whether the Council would consider using the World Health Organisation’s Lifetime Neighbourhood model to have a dedicated area that could be used by people at all stages in their life with dropped kerbs and public transport to the area. Helsinki was successful in carrying out a similar project in one of their parks. The beach in Brighton & Hove is particularly challenging for access due to the constantly changing slope of pebbles into the water. However, officers are keen to improve access as much as possible. At present there were changing places at Madeira Drive and the availability of the all-terrain wheelchair buggy. Officers were continuously looking at ways to increase access to the beach and that this was a national issue.
59.8 In answer to question on what impact the vibrant night time economy had on the seafront strategy, members were informed that as the strategy emerged it would need to look at the different users at different times of the day and see how this could be built into the strategy. The Strategic Director, Communities commented that there were 11,000 miles of seafront in the UK and that Brighton and Hove were passionate about their 8 miles. It was vital that we recognised the importance of the seafront, raised its profile, planned ahead and responded quickly to opportunities.
59.9 RESOLVED – The Committee noted the verbal update and that the item would be programmed into their work programme. |
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Letting People Know: Presentation on Citywide Marketing Initiatives Minutes: 60.1 David Murray, Strategic Director, Communities carried out the presentation and answered questions with Paula Murray, Commissioner Culture.
60.2 The presentation highlighted that with the wealth of activities in the city it was important to ensure people had access to all these activities. Ways of promoting these activities included :
· A simple cultural calendar to be inset into City News and monthly mail outs connecting up with VisitBrighton.
· “City Shorts” would be set up to find out from residents what the city means to them, this could be launched as a phone link and ideas could be sent in the form of you tube clips. Work is being carried out with Lighthouse to develop this.
· The city to provide a residents card to encourage all age groups to get involved in activities. The card could be segmented to have children’s activities and could be linked into Oyster card.
· Utilising the Art Commission Diary to promote the quality of offers and activities within the city by targeting on a national and international level to increase the visitor economy.
· Joining up with seafront activities and link into the digital media strategy.
60.3 In answer to a question on improving lamppost signposting and how London had same colour lampposts for highlighting tourist attractions, the Committee were informed how it was important to have good web based information and seafront A-boards to keep promoting activities/events.
60.4 The Committee agreed that the residents’ card would a received well by the local community. It would increase usage to events/ activities and give something back to residents. A further comment was raised to ensure that the card reached out to council tenants to give them the opportunity to get involved too.
60.5 It was noted that strategic design work for the city needed to allocate budgets for the maintenance as feedback from tourists was that the city needed to improve its standards of cleaning.
The signage to the Brighton Centre had improved and this should be consistent through out the city, it was the intention to roll out this signage through out the city.
60.6 It was agreed that more work was needed to advertise events such as the half-price day at the Pavilion. Members were told that there was an opportunity for residents to utilise the Pavilion on quiet days. There was also an opportunity to promote and increase usage at Preston Manor once the refurbishment had been carried out.
60.7 In answer to a question on encouraging people from the fringes of the city to visit inner city events and that posters would help reach people who are not computer literate, the Committee were told that all tourist information had literal pick up points. The Council also distributed half a million maps a year promoting other commercial and tourist attractions around the city, which were distributed to the east and west of the city. plus other tourist organisations distributed similar city maps.
60.8 RESOLVED – The Committee noted and thanked the officers for the presentation. |
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Minutes: 61.1 Paula Murray, Commissioner Culture presented the report and answered questions.
61.2 Members noted that work had started with the implementation of some of the recommendations, some were linked to additional funding and others were linked into schools. Further details were:
· General recommendations – joint working with children’s services would be led by the Commissioner Culture.
· Communications and Information – ensuring good links with schools and clarity of roles within schools to disseminate the information. There were some low cost and practical issues. Jubilee Library were looking at a digital noticeboard; which was subject to funding.
· Venues- an on-line approach was required to identify venues for young people to use, using of the blog would ensure that the information was live and up to date.
· Relevance to all arts- Access to cultural activities for young people must be embedded into all operations and the new commissioning approach. There was targeted work for Looked After Children (LAC) which was subject to funding and part of the Youth Commissioning Strategy; the key focus was to be on early prevention.
Creative Partnerships no longer existed and therefore an alternative route to working with schools governors would need to be investigated. CRB checks are on hold until it becomes live again. Ride the Wave programme was not utilised and not a priority. The main focus was to prioritise on external bid writing. The children’s festival would be expanded to wider groups. There could be further funding opportunities with the Darren Henley wider scope review of cultural education.
61.3 Councillor Melanie Davis, Chair of the Cultural Provision for the Children and Young People Scrutiny Panel congratulated officers from culture and children’s services and especially Julia Riches, Scrutiny Officer who worked extremely hard on the issue. The report should synchronise the work from both services and the report would go to both committees. Members noted that the express blog and 6 months post would collate information, publicise and increase accessibility to young people; including the libraries electronic noticeboard.
61.4 The Committee heard how AudioActive a registered charity worked with the Brighton & Hove Youth Offending Team and also other vulnerable and disabled groups. AudioActive had a football event which taught these children about working together and helped raise their self esteem. It is important to ensure that we continue to engage with these vulnerable children.
61.5 RESOLVED – The Committee agreed : (1) To congratulate the Panel on an extremely valuable piece of work. (2) To mandate commissioners to make the best use of existing resources to act upon these informed findings to deliver the recommendations outlined in the report. (3) To have the report back in a year’s time and monitor the outcomes of the recommendations. |
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Library PFI - update Briefing Paper. Minutes: 62.1 Sally McMahon, Head of Libraries and Information presented the report and answered questions.
62.2 The committee were informed that the PFI had been the best option at the time and had become one of the most cost effective services. The Jubilee Library development cost £15 million and has 1 million visitors per year. In comparison Newcastle library is the newest PFI library development and cost £45 million and has 1.2 million visitors. The Jubilee Library is the most successful library in the region. The PFI has a unique contract in that it includes bibliographic services which has meant that the library services bookfund remains protected and increases every year with inflation. In comparison with other authorities’ libraries which have experienced funding cuts.
62.3 In answer to whether this success could be maintained, the committee were told that the Jubilee Library has 50% of the city’s library transactions and activity. The Library would maintain its success for the lifetime of the contract.
The challenge was to maintain our network across the city. The library service had recently launched Council Connect which gave visitors access through the internet to council services; diversifying and broadening the role of libraries.
The service needed to prepare for 2012 and 2013 which would be challenging years, planning what use libraries would need to have and think about driving businesses into libraries. The cost of each library is low and closing one would have a disproportionate effect.
62.4 In answer to whether the contract included the book shelves, members were informed that the shelves were of the highest quality and were no different from any other library. There was a limited resource at the time of selection. It was agreed that this would be reviewed when the opportunity arose to change the shelving.
62.5 The committee were informed that the current service desk, signage and guiding was being updated to give a more premium feel. This would be rolled out to the other libraries next year.
62.6 It was confirmed that the work planning for Jubilee Square was not part of the PFI contract.
62.7 In response to a question on airflow problems experienced by smoke being drawn into the library from nearby residents’ barbeques, the committee was informed that this would be investigated. The building was built on green principles and natural airflow. Kier Facilities Management was very responsive to any building issues as this was a “flagship project”. .
62.8 RESOLVED – The committee congratulated the service and noted the information. |
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Minutes: 63.1 It was agreed that the work programme would be discussed post election. |
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ITEMS TO GO FORWARD TO COUNCIL Minutes: 64.1 There were items to go forward to Council. |
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Part 2 minutes from 26 January 2011 Minutes: 65.1 These were agreed. |