North Yorkshire County Council
Scarborough and Whitby Area Constituency Committee
Minutes of the remote meeting held on Friday, 9th July 2021 commencing at 10.30 am.
County Councillor Joe Plant in the Chair. Plus, County Councillors Clive Pearson, Liz Colling, Derek Bastiman, Eric Broadbent, David Chance, Janet Jefferson, Tony Randerson and Roberta Swiers.
In attendance: County Councillors Caroline Dickinson and Carl Les.
Officers present: Melanie Carr and Richard Marr.
Other Attendees: Philip Allott, Anne-Marie Benson, Simon Cox, Heather McNair, and
MP Robert Goodwill.
Apologies: County Councillors David Jeffels and Andrew Jenkinson.
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Copies of all documents considered are in the Minute Book
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Introductions & Apologies for Absence
The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting and Members introduced themselves. Apologies were received from County Councillors Andrew Jenkinson and David Jeffels. It was also noted that the Leader who usually attended Area Constituency Committee meetings, would only be available to attend part of the meeting.
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Minutes of the meeting held on 26 March 2021
Resolved –
That the Minutes of the meeting held on 26 March 2021, having been printed and circulated, be taken as read and recommended for approval by the Chief Executive Officer, using his emergency delegated powers.
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Declarations of Interest
There were no declarations of interest.
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Public Questions & Statements
There were no public questions or statements.
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Attendance of RT Hon Robert Goodwill MP
The Rt Hon Robert Goodwill MP attended the meeting to provide an overview of his views on main issues of local interest. He drew attention to the Covid infection rates and hospitalisations was pleased to note the growing number of vaccinations. He also noted the issues around the re-opening of businesses and the knock on effect of the track and trace scheme. He also highlighted the unprecedented level of tourism expected in the area over the summer post 19 July 2021.
In regard to health, he drew attention to a letter he had received regarding stroke treatment at Scarborough Hospital from the President of the British Association of Stroke Physicians, which confirmed that the national decision to base stroke treatment in regional acute units, was the correct approach. He recognised that this use of specialist regional units was likely to be the way forward for a whole range of treatments. However, he expressed concern over the removal of some other treatments/ procedures from Scarborough Hospital as a way of saving money, or due to staff shortages.
Members raised concern about the levels of Covid infection once everything re-opened later in July 2021, and the MP reassured Members that the rate of increase was slowing and the number of vaccinations was advancing. He went on to acknowledge the need for a round of booster vaccinations in Autumn, and the risk averse approach currently being taken by GPs and the difficulties in getting a face-to-face appointment;
The Chair thanked the MP for his attendance at the meeting.
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Attendance of Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner - Mr Philip Allott
Considered –
A presentation by Philip Allott, North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (PFCC), in which he confirmed his initial focus had been on getting out and about and meeting with staff across the Police and Fire and Rescue Service, and provided an overview of his priorities and plans, as summarised below: · Priorities included the safety of women, support for victims of crime, greater use of youth diversion, tackling drug supply and drug use, tackling hate crime, dealing with cross border crime, reducing re-offending, enhancing rural services, and river safety; · Improvements to infrastructure and equipment; · A new approach to anti-social behaviour, with more use of ‘nudge theory’ to promote behaviour change; · A renewed focus upon tackling rural crime, with greater use of modern technology, such as drones, to extend the reach of Police Officers and PCSOs; · Support for the retained/volunteer fire fighters and small rural fire and rescue stations; · Development of the relationship between the Police and local communities so they were better able to work together to promote community safety; · A review of the problems with the 101 service and the high levels of calls that had recently been received – introduction of digital reporting and waiting times; · An updated CCTV system across North Yorkshire with a centralised base for monitoring; · Development of a Public Safety Service; Specifically in regard to speeding, the PFCC noted the limited resources available and 6,000+ miles of road to be covered. As such, he wanted to encourage residents to raise complaints about speeding, as this would help the Police build up an understanding of where the problems were and how best to target resources. He also confirmed: · Research would be commissioned, to better understand how best to regulate speed on the highways across the county. This would include enhanced measurement of road use and speeds; · In some cases, speed limits could be reduced from 40mph to 30mph on roads where there were particular concerns; · The number of Road Traffic Police Officers to be increased; · The support of the Council and councillors would be welcomed in working through where fixed speed cameras and camera vans could be placed;
Finally, the PFCC outlined his plans for the future, which included improving resilience, service delivery, governance arrangements and partnership working. He also confirmed forthcoming consultations on the Police and Crime, and Fire and Rescue Plans, and his commissioning priorities.
The Chair thanked the PFCC for attending the meeting and it was
Resolved – That the presentation be noted.
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Scarborough Hospital Performance Update
Considered:
A presentation from Simon Cox and Heather McNair from the York & Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, providing an update on Scarborough Hospital.
The update confirmed the Trust’s continued commitment to provide acute hospital-based services in Scarborough. It also provided an update on the steps taken to improve the quality of care and the development of the new Emergency Department, due to open in early 2024. In particular, it provided details on: · The opportunities presented by joint working with partners including the opportunities of the collective public sector estate; · The need for service improvements and integration across health and social care services · The ongoing review of the CQC report and actions arising; · The development and implementation of a clinically led ward & department based quality improvement project “Always Aiming High” linked to the CQC action plan; · Workforce development and the steps being taken to address the challenge of nurse vacancies, · The investment in Emergency Care and a progress update on the development of the associated Business Case; · The new Children’s Assessment Unit in Scarborough; · New strategy for Mental Health Improvements; · Other ongoing challenges such as infection prevention and control, increased pressure on services across health and social care, with associated impact on discharge provision, and the ongoing management of Covid;
Members and the MP raised concerns about residents being unable to access primary care through their GP and the knock on effect it was having on attendance levels at the Emergency Department. In response, Simon Cox offered to attend a future meeting to discuss the challenges around Primary Care.
The Chair thanked Simon Cox and Heather McNair for their presentation, and it was
Resolved – That the presentation be noted.
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Yorkshire Water Update
Due to the meeting running over, the update from Yorkshire Water representatives had left the meeting so the item was deferred to the next meeting of the Committee.
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Scarborough & Whitby Citizens Advice Bureau Update
Considered:
A presentation from Anne-Marie Benson, the Chief Executive of Citizens Advice Scarborough & District, which provided an overview of their work throughout the pandemic.
She confirmed that throughout 2020-21 they had helped people with a range of problems including issues with housing, debt, benefits, employment, relationships and consumer rights. It was noted that throughout the pandemic period: · There had been a huge jump in the number of people seeking advice; · Due to Covid restrictions, 63% had been helped via telephone, 36% online, with only remaining 1% via face-to-face meetings; · On average, those who had required advice, had needed help with at least 3 issues, often complex cases like urgent benefits, eviction or wrongful dismissal – two case studies were provided to example that work; · Feedback from clients had been positive; · Every effort had been taken to support staff and volunteers, all of whom had been retained; · As part of the national citizens advice network, the Scarborough & District office had received daily/weekly briefings from experts on what exactly the legislative changes were, what impact they would have, what the new processes were etc, requiring a huge amount of learning for staff;
Members were pleased to note the value to society generated by the Service, in particular the fiscal and wider economic and social benefits. They were also pleased to note the support that had been given to Citizens Advice staff throughout the pandemic to enable them to cope with their increased workloads.
Finally, it was noted that going forward, more volunteers would be trained. Also that the Citizens Advice Scarborough & District would continue to offer an online service as it had proved more accessible, enabling more clients to be helped.
The Chair thanked Anne-Marie Benson for her presentation, and it was
Resolved – That the presentation be noted.
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Appointments to Local Bodies
Considered –
A report of the Assistant Chief Executive (Legal and Democratic Services) seeking the extension of the appointments to Local Bodies in the Scarborough & Whitby Area Constituency Committee (ACC) area, previously made by the Yorkshire Coast & Moors Area Committee, in light of the deferment of the planned County Council elections to May 2022.
Resolved - That: i. It be recommended to the Chief Executive that using his emergency delegated powers he extend the current appointments to the Category 2 outside bodies that fall within the remit of the committee, to the end of the current Council in May 2022 ii. There were no vacancies for Category 3 outside bodies that fell within the remit of the committee, and therefore a recommendation to the Chief Executive for formal decision using his emergency delegated powers was not required.
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Scarborough & Whitby Area Constituency Committee Work Programme 2020/21
Considered -
The report of the Assistant Chief Executive (Legal and Democratic Services) asking Members to review the Work Programme, taking into account the outcome of discussions on previous agenda items and any other developments taking place across the area.
It was agreed that the deferred Yorkshire Water item and the proposed update on the challenges around Primary Care suggested by Simon Cox – Executive Programme Director for the NHS Foundation Trust, be added to the work programme for a future meeting.
Resolved - That the Democracy Officer update the work programme to reflect the decisions made during the meeting.
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The meeting concluded at 12.44 pm.