North Yorkshire County Council
Scarborough and Whitby Area Constituency Committee
Minutes of the remote meeting held on Friday 17th September 2021 commencing at 2.30 pm.
County Councillor Joe Plant in the Chair. Plus, County Councillors Clive Pearson, Eric Broadbent, Liz Colling, Janet Jefferson, Tony Randerson and Roberta Swiers.
In attendance: County Councillor Carl Les.
Officers present: Richard Marr, Louise Wallace and Claire Robinson.
Other Attendees: Rt Hon Robert Goodwill MP
Apologies: County Councillors Andrew Backhouse, Derek Bastiman, David Chance, David Jeffels, Andrew Jenkinson and Callum Walsh.
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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 Councillor David Chance.
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Minutes of the meeting held on 9 July 2021
Resolved –
That the Minutes of the meeting held on 9 July 2021, having been printed and circulated, be taken as read and confirmed and signed by the Chair as a correct record.
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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 MP Robert Goodwill
County Councillor Joe Plant welcomed Rt Hon. Robert Goodwill MP to the meeting, who in turn welcomed the opportunity to attend the Committee meetings, and the recent decision regarding local government reorganisation. He looked forward to there being a smooth transition and was pleased to note Scarborough Borough Council’s decision to create town council. He suggested consideration should be given to its boundary to encompass some of the surrounding parish council areas as he could see the benefits that would bring to the residents of those areas.
He raised concerns about access to NHS dentistry, and outlined the current situation across the constituency where large numbers of people particularly children were unable to access an NHS dentist. He suggested this was not because the resource was not there, but because dentists were reluctant to take NHS patients for a number of reasons e.g. recruitment and the closure of some NHS dentists. He went on to suggest that consideration should be given to limiting the allocation of NHS dentist places only to those who could not afford private treatment. Members noted the length of time it took to train a dentist (6-7years) and the number graduating each year (approx. 1300). It was suggested they needed to be incentivised to work in the NHS and any disincentives for those at the top of their medical profession needed to be removed in order to retain them for longer. The MP went on to discuss with Members: · A recent initiative from the Scarborough Business Ambassadors to sell the town and encourage newly appointed doctors to come and work at the newly refurbished Scarborough Hospital; · The issue of access to GP surgeries – He suggested there should now be a return to face-to-face appointments. · Businesses being unable to get the staff they need, particularly in the hospitality and care sectors although he noted that working in a care home was now getting greater more recognition for the skills required, which he hoped would encourage more interest; · The investment in Whitby Hospital, which he saw as a sign it was there to stay. He suggested it would be beneficial to hold more clinics on that site, in order to reduce the need for travelling; · The availability of Level Up Funding for the area - the need for a new Park & Ride on the A171 Whitby to Scarborough road and other infrastructure projects; · The need to increase visitor spend in Whitby without increasing visitor numbers; · The growing number of second homes becoming holiday homes that do not pay Council tax, but take advantage of the full range of council services e.g. waste collections. He confirmed he had engaged with the Chancellor on the issue and he was optimistic it would be addressed; · The Community Renewal Fund which needed to be spent by March 2022 · The effect the pandemic had had on many of the issues raised.
County Councillor Carl Les joined the meeting at 3:11pm
County Councillor Joe Plant thanked the MP for his attendance and offered him an open invitation to attend all future meetings of the Committee.
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Health in Coastal Communities
Louise Wallace, Director of Public Health introduced the UK Chief Medical Officer’s second annual report published on the 21 July 2021, which analysed the health and wellbeing of England’s coastal communities and its relevance to the Scarborough and Whitby area.
She welcomed the report as it not only highlighted some of the issues faced by those living in a coastal community but also the benefits. She drew attention to the report’s comparison of the health disparities between coastal communities and their inland neighbours, and its exploration of the drivers of poorer health outcomes and the key challenges.
Claire Robinson, Health Improvement Manager drew Members’ attention to the key challenges identified within the report and how they related to the Scarborough and Whitby area. She drew specific focus the County Council’s partnerships approach to addressing those key challenges, and to the case studies in the report, which gave examples of the ongoing work.
It was noted that the move to becoming a unitary would provide a good opportunity for improving joint working with public health colleagues in District Councils, the communities and voluntary sector. This in turn would help to better address the health inequalities, both qualitively and quantitively.
Members agreed it was a great report and noted North Yorkshire was seen as a place where health outcomes and life expectancy were good, but agreed it did not reflect the true picture of the whole county. Members went on to acknowledge and discuss with the MP the following: · The need to encourage anchor institutions to buy/procure locally; · The difficulties associated with health checks i.e. reaching some parts of the communities; · In regard to the wider community offer – the need to understand the barriers to accessing lifestyle services usually accessed through GPs but disrupted due to Covid; · The work of the Income maximisation team and the £39m claimed additional and previously unclaimed/unpaid welfare benefits for citizens of North Yorkshire; · The poor take up of Healthy Start vouchers – it was agreed a breakdown would be provided following the meeting; · The high levels of multiple deprivation due to unemployment, and the steps being taken to address it across the Scarborough & Whitby area; · The need for adequate government funding and support for areas not only those with high levels of multiple deprivation, but also for those with a significant elderly population like North Yorkshire; · The increase in the rate of mortality due to cardiovascular diseases, cancers and respiratory conditions in under 75 year olds across the constituency area, significantly above regional and national averages; · The need to promote and encourage families to grow their own fruit and vegetables. Also the need to invest in communities and peer groups to make improvements at a grass roots level;
Finally, Louise Wallace confirmed that Members could access the data on public health challenges and health profiles via the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment partnership webpage.
County Councillor Joe Plant thanked officers for the report and it was
Resolved – That the report be noted.
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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.
County Councillor Joe Plant reminded Members about the ongoing Police, Fire & Crime Plan consultation and it was agreed that rather than submitting a Committee response, Members could respond individually if they wished to do so.
County Councillor Janet Jefferson raised concerns about flash flooding in specific parts of the constituency area and confirmed she was trying to arrange a site meeting with representatives from Yorkshire Water. It was noted that Yorkshire Water would be attending the next meeting of the Committee on 3rd December 2021, which would provide an opportunity for the issue to be discussed.
Resolved - That the work programme be noted
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The meeting concluded at 3.50 pm.