The Education and Local Economy Scrutiny Commission was scheduled to discuss youth employment support, the East Street Market renovation project, and the Southwark Safeguarding Children Partnership (SSCP). The commission was also scheduled to discuss draft scrutiny recommendations and its work programme for the 2024-25 year.

Youth Employment Support

The Education and Local Economy Scrutiny Commission was scheduled receive a report on youth employment support from Councillor John Batteson, Cabinet Member for Climate Emergency, Jobs and Business, and Nick Wolff, Employment and Skills Manager. The report pack states that the Education and Local Economy Scrutiny Commission had requested information on the council's work to support young people into employment, with a focus on working with partners to support school leavers into education, training and employment.

The report pack highlights the Southwark Youth New Deal, launched in Spring 2021, which sought to demonstrate the council's commitments to supporting young people. A key priority of the Youth New Deal plan was 'Pathways into employment and enterprise for young people', with a focus on making information on internships, apprenticeships and job opportunities readily accessible to young people. This workstream underpinned the development of the monthly Youth Opportunities Bulletin and OneHub, the digital information hub.

The report pack also mentions a range of services and programmes available to young people in Southwark, including:

• Southwark Works Employment Support Service
• Apprenticeships
• Southwark Skills Partnership
• Education Business Alliance
• School Leaver Internships
• OneHub
• Southwark Youth Opportunities Bulletin
• Southwark Local Offer and Southwark Information, Advice and Support Service for young people with SEND
• Connect to Work
• Care Leavers Employment Support

East Street Traders

The Education and Local Economy Scrutiny Commission was scheduled to receive a report from Lindon on the East Street Market renovation project. The report pack details progress made between November 2023 and January 2025, including:

• Initial trader engagement and research
• Mystery shopping and safety survey
• Capacity building and upskilling
• Market branding guideline
• 'Cleaner, Greener and Safer' match-funding: Proof of concept solar panels
• Market charter being devised
• Market newsletter
• Community Impact Coordinator - Impact Journey
• Safety guidelines after stabbing
• Website for traders

The report pack notes that a 'Community Impact Coordinator' was hired to understand trader needs through stories and conversations, record footfall, and gather demographic information. The key areas of concern identified included parking, pitch fees, engagement, market management, facilities and community.

The report pack also highlights customer views, including the desire for a greater variety of stalls, increased advertising, adequate parking spaces and storage facilities, and improved facilities.

A mystery shopping and health and safety survey was carried out in December 2023, which raised concerns including:

• Some stalls only accepted cash
• Traders were not approachable
• Use of unmarked plastic bags
• Stalls encroached on the pavement
• Poor waste management facilities
• Vegetables and fruit were found to be past their sell-by date

The report pack also details capacity building and upskilling initiatives, including business development and operational considerations.

IVY Studios, a Walworth-based graphic design studio, produced a 37-page brand guideline, including a bold logo design, standardised branding of gazebos, accessories like tote bags and stickers, a colour scheme for murals and public space design, and reference to local heritage and famous persons of Walworth.

A proof of concept for a solar panel barrow was completed as part of match-funding from the 'Cleaner, Greener and Safer Fund'. The solar panels can power lighting in East Street, enable trading to take place in a more secure environment, power any electrical equipment traders need, and feed any excess power into the electrical grid.

A market charter was devised, covering stall allocation, trading hours, compliance with laws and regulations, display and sales, cleanliness, compliance with organisers' instructions, conduct, cancellation policy and insurance.

A market newsletter was circulated by email and in hard copy, in collaboration with Southwark Association of Street Traders and Shop Owners (SASTSO).

The report pack also details the 'Impact Journey' of the Community Impact Coordinator, noting that traders were primarily focused on their immediate financial survival, which made it difficult for them to engage in business development.

The report pack also includes ideas from shoppers, including a surplus food bank, support for women, temporary seating solutions, accessibility improvements, a repair and mend stall, and a give and take market stall.

Safety guidelines were developed after a fatality highlighted the lack of safety protocol and risk assessment, including the implementation of a safety card, action for traders to become first-aiders, and the purchase of first aid kits, stab bleed kits and defibrillators.

A website for traders was created, including a collection of websites, Instagram accounts and contact details from traders, recording of business information, and photographs of traders.

The report pack also lists obstacles and challenges, including no provision of Wi-Fi, limited and delayed lighting provision, gazebos were not delivered timely, the committee has undermined the relationships we built with and amongst traders, inefficient processes slowed down and prevented progress, confusion with re-consultation on gazebos not following brand guidelines, very limited waste facilities provided on the market, and underused and dilapidated buildings.

The report pack recommends an 'East Street Shopping District' masterplan, including Wi-Fi and lighting to be fully delivered, ensure traders are using new branded gazebos, pedestrianise East-Street, Nursery Row Park as part of the market, Southwark’s first solar panel-powered market, permanent market barrows, recycling strategy, signage and wayfinding, workspace for young entrepreneurs, shopfronts improvement, and independent and professional market management put in place.

Southwark Safeguarding Children Partnership (SSCP)

The Education and Local Economy Scrutiny Commission was scheduled to receive a report from Alasdair Smith, Director, Children & Families on Southwark Safeguarding Children Partnership (SSCP). The purpose of the report is to update the committee on the work of the SSCP and share the SSCP Executives’ priorities for action for 2025–2026, in response to the updated statutory guidance, Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023 (WT2023).

The report pack notes that WT2023 introduces substantive changes to strengthen how local multi-agency safeguarding arrangements work together to safeguard and protect children locally, including with relevant agencies.

The lead safeguarding partners (LSPs) have equal and joint responsibility for determining, implementing and the success of the safeguarding arrangements under the SSCP. The lead (statutory) safeguarding partners are:

• Althea Loderick Chief Executive Southwark Council
• Matt Twist Assistant Commissioner Metropolitan Police
• Andrew Bland Chief Executive Officer Southeast London ICB

These functions have been delegated to:

• Alasdair Smith – Director Children’s Services, Southwark Borough Council
• Vanessa Britton – Detective Superintendent, Metropolitan Police
• Darren Summers - Strategic Director for Integrated Health and Care/Southwark Place Executive Lead

The current arrangement is for a rotating chair for one year. This role is currently held by the police and children’s services will be taking the chair from April 2025.

The SSCP Executive have agreed new business priorities for the coming year, including continuing the work on the neglect strategy, domestic abuse, an adolescent strategy and implementation of WT2023 including enhancing the voice of the child.

The report pack includes the SSCP Annual Report 2023-24, which outlines the statutory requirement for safeguarding partners to submit an annual report to the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel, on how the SSCP ensures good governance and strategic oversight of multi-agency safeguarding arrangements within Southwark.

The annual report notes that Southwark is a densely populated and diverse inner-London borough, with areas of deprivation concentrated across the central and northern parts of Southwark.

The annual report also details the SSCP's key strategic questions:

• Is the help provided effective?
• Are all partner agencies meeting their statutory responsibilities as set out in Working Together 2023?
• Do all partner agencies quality assure practice and is there evidence of learning and improving practice?
• Is safeguarding training monitored and evaluated and is there evidence of training and learning impacting on practice?

The annual report lists the SSCP's partners, including Southwark Council, ICB/NHS, Police and other organisations.

The annual report also details the SSCP's subgroups:

• Learning Network (joint with SSAB)
• Child Safeguarding Practice Review (CSPR) Subgroup
• Quality and Effectiveness Subgroup

The annual report includes a scrutiny report from Anna Berry, Independent Scrutineer, which provides an appraisal of the effectiveness of partnership joint arrangements.

The annual report also includes data on core child protection activity and the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO).

The annual report also details areas of focus, including serious youth violence and neglect.

Work Programme 2024-25

The Education and Local Economy Scrutiny Commission was scheduled to note the work programme as at 8 April 2025. The work programme document lists those items which have been or are to be considered in line with the commission’s terms of reference. As of 22 May 2024 the commission also now has within in its remit the cabinet portfolio elements listed below:

Children, Education & Refugees (Councillor Jasmine Ali, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member)

• Early years and childcare
• Schools
• Further, higher and adult education
• Children’s social care
• Family support
• Youth offending services.

Climate Emergency (green economy), Jobs & Business (Councillor John Batteson)

• Greening our local economy
• Increasing employment
• Vocational Skills
• Businesses support
• High streets
• Commercial property
• Industrial strategy
• Living Wage
• Workers’ rights