Agenda item

This report seeks Council adoption of the Three Rivers Community Strategy 2023- 28.

Recommendation

That the Climate Change, Leisure and Community Committee recommend adoption of the Strategy to Policy and Resources Committee.

Policy and Resources Committee recommend adoption of the Strategy to Council.

Council adopts this strategy for Three Rivers District Council.

That public access to the report be immediate.

That public access to the decision be immediate.

The Committee considered a report recommending that Three Rivers District Council adopt the Three Rivers Community Strategy 2023-28.

The report recommended that the Climate Change, Community and Leisure Committee:

a)    Refer the Strategy to the Policy and Resources Committee with a recommendation that –

·       The Policy and Resources Committee adopt the strategy; and

·       If adopted, that the Policy and Resources Committee refer the Strategy to Full Council with a recommendation that the Council adopt the strategy.

b)    That public access to the report and the Committee’s decision be immediate.

Rebecca Young, Head of Community Partnerships, introduced the report noting, by way of background, that the Council was the lead partner of the Three Rivers Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) which had been established in 2002 to produce the Community Strategy for Three Rivers District Council. As such, the LSP was the overarching Board for all other Three River District Council led partnerships.

The LSP Board was made up of representatives from public, private, voluntary and community sector organisations based in and around the district, and it aimed to build on existing successful partnership working.

Membership of the LSP was set at senior political, board member, or chief officer level, to ensure that its Members had the necessary authority to speak on behalf of their organisations, and to commit the resources required to implement the LSP strategy.

The Council’s Strategy and Partnerships Team provided support to the LSP through the management of the LSP and the Community Safety Board (CSP) and their respective subgroups.

Ms Young then summarised the details of the content of the Three Rivers Community Strategy 2023-28 that was before the Committee for approval.

In the subsequent discussion, the following points were raised.

a)    The poor presentation of the Excel spreadsheets in the report was a consequence of the spreadsheets having been reproduced in portrait rather than landscape layout and this was a glitch in the preparation of the papers for publication using modern.gov, the computer software used by the Council to publish agendas and reports.

b)    Of the various documents attached to the report, the final document, “Enc. 2”, was the proposed Three Rivers Community Strategy.

c)    It was noted that this was a huge piece of work involving numerous partners and that Three Rivers District Council, as the LSP lead authority, was very much reliant on the support of its partners.

For the sake of clarification, the Chair noted that the document the Committee was being asked to approve was the Three Rivers District Council Community Strategy as set out in the additional document attached to the report entitled “Enc. 2 for Three Rivers Community Strategy 2023-28”.

On a motion by Councillor Drury, to approve the report’s recommendations, seconded by Councillor Price, the Chair announced, on a show of hands, that Members were unanimous in their support for the motion.

RESOLVED: That –

1.    Climate Change, Leisure and Community Committee recommend adoption of the Strategy to Policy and Resources Committee;

2.    Policy and Resources Committee recommend adoption of the Strategy to Council;

3.    Council adopts this strategy for Three Rivers District Council;

4.    That public access to the report be immediate; and

5.    That public access to the decision be immediate.