This week in Northumberland:

• The Strategic Planning Committee approved plans for a renewable energy scheme, the demolition and rebuild of a school, a cinema, and the Blyth Energy Central Campus Institute.
• The Staff and Appointments Committee were scheduled to discuss interim appointments in Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service.

Strategic Planning Committee - Tuesday 15 April 2025

The Strategic Planning Committee meeting approved plans for a renewable energy scheme at Whittonstall, the demolition and rebuild of Cramlington Learning Village, a cinema in Ashington, and the Blyth Energy Central Campus Institute. The committee discussed concerns around local amenity, ecology, and heritage assets, but ultimately approved all applications subject to conditions and agreements.

Highfield Energy Park, Whittonstall

The committee considered application 23/01717/FUL from Exagen Development Ltd for a renewable energy scheme at Whittonstall in Consett, comprising ground-mounted photovoltaics, battery storage, and associated infrastructure.

The proposed development consists of a solar farm with a maximum generation capacity of 43.5MW, a battery energy storage system (BESS) with a capacity of 12.5MW, and a substation for grid connection. The solar farm would be located on approximately 91 hectares of agricultural land, while the substation would be located on a separate 8.25 hectare site within the Green Belt.

The committee heard objections from Shotley Low Quarter Parish Council, Durham County Council, the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), and the Northumberland Wildlife Trust, raising concerns about fire and rescue access, cumulative impact, visual impact, and ecology.

Despite these objections, the committee voted to approve the application, subject to conditions and a Section 106 agreement to secure ecological monitoring, off-site skylark mitigation, and woodland management. Councillor Trevor Thorne, Chair of the Strategic Planning Committee, and the Director of Housing & Planning were delegated authority to agree on the final wording of condition 68, relating to community involvement in the communications strategy.

Cramlington Learning Village

The committee then considered application 24/04328/FUL for the demolition of nine existing buildings at Cramlington Learning Village and the construction of a new learning village complex, with associated access, parking, landscaping, and PV canopies.

The committee heard that the existing school buildings are in need of repair or replacement. The proposed development would include a new three-storey teaching block, as well as improvements to the site's access, parking, and landscaping.

The committee heard that Active Travel England supported the scheme.

The committee voted to approve the application, subject to a Section 106 agreement securing on-site biodiversity net gain enhancements and a biodiversity net gain monitoring fee, and relevant planning conditions.

Portland Park, Ashington

Next on the agenda was application 24/04452/FUL for the erection of a cinema with ancillary leisure space, two restaurant units, associated landscaping, parking, and access on land to the east of Lintonville Terrace, Portland Park, in Ashington.

The committee heard that the proposed development would include a five-screen cinema and two food and beverage units, as well as associated landscaping and parking. The site is located within Ashington town centre, near the new train station.

The committee voted to approve the application, subject to conditions.

Keel Row, Union Street, Blyth

Finally, the committee considered application 24/04300/CCD for full planning and demolition in a conservation area for the construction of the Blyth Energy Central Campus Institute ('Blyth ECCI') alongside demolition of 1, 3-5, 7-9 Bridge Street and 2, 4, 6, 8 Regent Street in Blyth.

The committee heard that the proposed ECCI building would be a two-storey property that would measure a maximum 63.2 metres in length, by 30.5 metres in width, with an overall height of 11 metres from ground level. The site is located within Blyth Central Conservation Area, and the buildings proposed for demolition include locally listed buildings.

The committee voted to approve the application, subject to conditions.

Staff and Appointments Committee - Wednesday 16 April 2025

The Staff and Appointments Committee were scheduled to meet on Wednesday 16 April 2025 to discuss interim appointments in Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service¹. The meeting was also scheduled to confirm the minutes of the previous meeting.

Interim appointments in Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service

The Staff and Appointments Committee were scheduled to discuss and confirm the interim appointments of Lynsey McVay as Chief Fire Officer and Stephen Kennedy as Deputy Chief Fire Officer, with effect from 18 March 2025.

According to the report pack, the substantive Chief Fire Officer and Deputy Chief Fire Officer had not been at work since 12 March 2025. In order to maintain operational leadership, two temporary appointments were made to backfill the roles in their absence.

Lynsey McVay was appointed on secondment from Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service (TWFRS), where she is substantively the Assistant Chief Fire Officer. The Chief Fire Officer of TWFRS agreed to formally second Lynsey McVay until processes relating to the substantive postholder have been concluded. The report pack states that Lynsey McVay is an experienced Fire Leader and Gold/Strategic Commander.

Stephen Kennedy's credentials were known to the committee, as they had previously agreed to his appointment as Assistant Chief Fire Officer. There was no intention to backfill the Assistant Chief Fire Officer post on an interim basis, and other management arrangements were being considered by the interim Chief Fire Officer.

The report pack noted that these appointments had been made under emergency delegated power by Dr Helen Paterson, Chief Executive. It also noted that the Chief Executive and Chief Fire Officer of TWFRS had discussed and were assured of the availability of ‘mutual aid’².

The report pack set out two options for the council:

• Agree the interim appointment of Lynsey McVay to Chief Fire Officer and the acting up of Stephen Kennedy to Deputy Chief Fire Officer. This was the recommended option, as both candidates are appropriately qualified and experienced and are available to address an immediate operational need.
• Reject the interim appointment of Lynsey McVay to Chief Fire Officer and the acting up of Stephen Kennedy to Deputy Chief Fire Officer and commence a recruitment process to recruit to these roles on an interim basis. The report pack stated that a recruitment process would be time consuming, may not attract candidates of the standard secured under option 1, and would not address immediate operational needs.

The report pack also noted the following implications of the interim appointments:

• Financial: The substantive postholders are in receipt of full pay, so the interim appointment of a Chief Fire Officer is additional to the current pay bill. The interim Deputy Chief Fire Officer appointment will also represent additional cost (the difference between substantive salary and interim salary). The decision not to backfill the ACFO post will mitigate some of these additional costs.
• Legal: The functions of the Staff and Appointments Committee are to discharge the council’s functions as the employer in relation to the Chief and Deputy Chief Officers. The Chief Fire Officer is a Chief Officer, and the Deputy Chief Fire Officer is a Deputy Chief Officer, as defined under s2 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989.
• Human Resources: The interim appointments have been made in line with appropriate employment processes.

Previous Minutes

The committee was scheduled to confirm as an accurate record the minutes of the meeting held on Wednesday, 5 February 2025 [https://northumberland.moderngov.co.uk/documents/s25369/02.+Previous+Minutes+5+Feb+25.pdf]. During that meeting, members were informed about the requirement on the County Council to prepare and publish a Pay Policy Statement.

This week in Northumberland:

• The Cabinet meeting was scheduled to discuss the Energising Blyth Programme, and the Richard Stannard House conversion.
• The Cabinet meeting was also scheduled discuss the Northumberland Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans.
• The Cabinet meeting was scheduled to discuss the updated Risk Management Strategy.
• The Firefighters' Pension Scheme Local Pension Board meeting was scheduled to discuss the Retained Firefighters' Pension Settlement.
• The Health and Well-being Board were scheduled to discuss the Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy.

Cabinet - Tuesday 08 April 2025

The Cabinet meeting was scheduled to discuss the Energising Blyth Programme, adopt the Northumberland Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans, approve the updated Risk Management Strategy and consider proposed amendments to the Capital Programme.

Richard Stannard House Conversion

The cabinet were scheduled to discuss a report regarding the Richard Stannard House Conversion, as part of the Energising Blyth Programme. The report sought endorsement of the Outline Business Case (OBC) for the conversion of Richard Stannard House and to delegate approval of the OBC to the Executive Director of Place and Regeneration following consideration of the detail at Programme Board.

The report stated that Richard Stannard House, owned by ANCL, is a three-storey building on Bridge Street in Blyth, currently used as commercial office space. The proposal is to convert the building to create 16 residential units.

The report stated that the project would:

create attractive private rented accommodation over three floors for an estimated 25 residents, with a combination of one and two-bedroom apartments

The report also stated that the project would deliver external works including new footpaths, parking areas and soft landscaping.

The report noted that the total pre-tender capital cost for the project is £4.222m, and that the OBC has been submitted to the Accountable Body for review, including an external appraisal of the OBC which has been carried by Aecom.

Northumberland Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans

The cabinet were scheduled to discuss a report to present the final drafts of the Northumberland Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans (LCWIPs) and to request that these are formally adopted. The report also provided a progress update on several active travel schemes being delivered across the county.

The report stated that in 2022, Active Travel England (ATE) announced £300m of government funding for projects to provide people with the choice to travel by walking, wheeling or cycling and that Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans (LCWIPs) provide local authorities with the opportunity to identify and prioritise walking and cycling corridors for investment.

The report stated that LCWIPs have been prepared for the 12 main towns across Northumberland and were developed based on 5 key principles: a walking and cycling vision, an evidence based approach to walking and cycling network planning, geographical extent of LCWIPS, proposed improvements, and priority corridors.

The report stated that walking and cycling corridors have been prioritised using a bespoke mechanism developed to consider key policy drivers and other objectives important to the council and that the LCWIPs have been subject to extensive public consultation.

The report listed the LCWIPs for each town: Alnwick, Amble, Ashington, Bedlington, Berwick, Blyth, Haltwhistle, Hexham, Morpeth, Ponteland, Prudhoe.

Risk Management Strategy

The cabinet were scheduled to discuss a report to seek approval for the council’s updated Risk Management Strategy.

The report stated that the Accounts and Audit Regulations 2015 set out the County Council’s statutory responsibilities to ensure that a sound system of internal control is in place, which includes effective arrangements for the management of risk.

The report stated that the updated Risk Management Strategy codifies the council's arrangements, providing an updated framework to enable the consistent and effective approach to risk management throughout all aspects of the council’s activities.

The report stated that the Risk Management Strategy applies to all of the council’s activities and reflects risk management hierarchy, with risks identified, monitored and managed at three key levels: corporate risks, service strategic risks, and service operational risks.

Summary of New Capital Proposals

The cabinet were scheduled to discuss a report summarising proposed amendments to the Capital Programme considered by the Capital Strategy Group on 25 February 2025.

The report detailed the following proposals: Approve the spend of £1.761 million in 2025-26 for the additional bespoke planting offer as part of the Great Northumberland Forest project, approve the spend of £0.180 million in 2025-26 to carry out the replacement of the Boiler Plant at Waterworld Leisure Centre, approve the spend of £0.500 million in 2025-26 to carry out the replacement of the sports hall roof at Wentworth Leisure Centre, approve the spend of £0.100 million in 2025-26 to carry out poolside electrical upgrade works at Willowburn Leisure Centre, approve the spend of £0.500 million in 2025-26 to carry out the replacement of the air handling unit at Willowburn Leisure Centre, approve the spend of £0.050 million in 2025-26 to carry out the replacement of the tiles within the learner pool at Ashington Leisure Centre, approve the inclusion in the capital programme of £1.094 million for the following Borderlands projects: Penrith Playhouse £0.118 million, Penrith Station £0.476 million and the Roxy (Ulverston) £0.500 million, approve the spend of £0.182 million in 2025-26 to enable development of the Alnwick Bus Station Safety and Accessibility as part of the Bus Service Improvement Plan, and approve the spend of £0.058 million in 2025-26 to enable the construction of a new food waste bay at West Sleekburn waste transfer station.

Firefighters' Pension Scheme Local Pension Board - Tuesday 08 April 2025

Here is a summary of the scheduled discussions for the Firefighters' Pension Scheme Local Pension Board meeting. The board was scheduled to discuss a range of topics related to the Firefighters' Pension Scheme, including monitoring reports, pension bulletins, and a settlement exercise for retained firefighters. They were also scheduled to review the draft risk register and monthly client reports from West Yorkshire Pension Fund (WYPF).

Retained Firefighters' Pension Settlement

A key item for discussion was the Retained Firefighters' Pension Settlement Second Options Exercise. According to the report pack, this exercise relates to the Employment Tribunal case of O’Brien -v- Ministry of Justice, which had implications for retained firefighters' pensions.

The report pack stated that:

Following the initial options exercise, a number of members requested a further opportunity to consider their options. This report seeks to update the Local Pension Board on the progress of the second options exercise and to seek approval for the proposed next steps.

The report pack included a document describing the background to the settlement, the options available to members, and the proposed next steps.

West Yorkshire Pension Fund (WYPF) Reports

The board was scheduled to review two sets of reports from the West Yorkshire Pension Fund (WYPF): monthly client reports for Northumberland County Council (NCC), and WYPF's own report to NCC’s FPS LPB. These reports likely contained information on the performance of the pension fund, investment strategies, and any relevant issues or updates from WYPF.

Draft Risk Register

The board was scheduled to discuss a draft risk register. Risk registers are used to identify, assess, and manage potential risks to the Firefighters' Pension Scheme. The register likely included details of the identified risks, their potential impact, and the measures in place to mitigate them.

Bluelight Fire Pension Bulletins and Monitoring Report

The agenda included the Bluelight Fire Pension Bulletins and a monitoring report. These documents likely provided updates on relevant changes to pension regulations, legal precedents, and scheme performance.

Contribution Adjustments

The report pack included a section on contribution adjustments. This likely covered any necessary changes to pension contributions from firefighters or the council, potentially due to changes in salary, pension regulations, or other factors.

Health and Well-being Board - Thursday 10 April 2025

The Health and Well-being Board were scheduled to meet to discuss the Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy, and to receive an update on the 0-19 Growing Healthy Northumberland service. The agenda also included a review of the forward plan.

Building Blocks of a Good Life: Annual Update of the Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy

The Health and Wellbeing Board were scheduled to note and comment on progress against the actions of the theme of ‘Building Blocks of a Good Life’ that were refreshed in the updated Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2023-28.

The report pack states that the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age have a significant influence on their health and wellbeing, including education, skills, money, resources, housing, work, surroundings, transport, food, family, friends and communities. The strategy identifies these conditions as the ‘Building Blocks for a Good Life’.

The three priority areas agreed by the Health and Wellbeing Board were: healthy housing and planning, inclusive economy, and increasing equity in access to transport.

The report pack highlights work being led by partners to address the three priority areas of the Building Blocks theme.

Healthy Housing and Planning

The report pack notes that too many people in Northumberland live in poor housing conditions, which harms their health and wellbeing, and drives inequalities in healthy life expectancy.

The Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy identified action areas including action through the planning process, and improving the quality and availability of existing housing.

The report pack states that Northumberland County Council (NCC) have an opportunity to shape future living environments through the local planning system, ensuring that new developments are designed and built to promote human health and wellbeing and tackle inequalities in housing.

It is anticipated that work will start towards a new Local Plan in 2025, which could be a valuable opportunity to further strengthen the health aspects of the Plan and its policies.

Planning and public health officers at NCC have been working closely together to strengthen consideration of health impacts into the planning process, including early discussions with large site developers, introduction of a healthy planning checklist for all developer applications and supporting appraisal of Health Impact Assessments (HIA) that are mandatory for major developments. In the past year, full HIAs have been reviewed for a new data centre proposed for construction at Cambois by QTS.

A Northumberland Design Code is currently being developed and will inform the design of the built and natural environment through requirements and guidance. A clear early emerging priority for council stakeholders is the health, wellbeing and care agenda including the importance of physical wellbeing.

Improving existing housing conditions is also crucial to improve population health and wellbeing and tacking inequalities. A new countywide housing strategy is under development and is expected to be published during 2025. The effectiveness of the current Northumberland Local Plan in delivering high quality, healthy and affordable housing is also being evaluated in 2025.

A new selective licencing scheme came into effect in the Cowpen Quay area of Blyth on 14 October 2024.

Selective licensing aims to deal with poor property standards, poor management from private landlords and antisocial tenants. It has primarily been developed to tackle these problems in areas of low housing demand; that suffer from significant and persistent anti-social behaviour. All landlords in the designated area must apply for a license and comply with license conditions before they are able to rent out their property. In the first 4 months of the scheme, The NCC housing team have received and engaged with 89 applicants (18% of landlords) and 45 properties have been inspected. 24 draft and 4 final licences have been issued. 7 Properties have required improvement prior to a licence being issued.

Building Blocks of a Good Life: Annual Update of the Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy

A community conversation was run in Blyth in early 2025, using the Place Standard Tool to align with the work on selective licencing and understand community perceptions at the beginning of the programme.

Hirst Masterplan is a long-term regeneration project that aims to build on the strengths of the Hirst (in central Ashington) to address the challenges in the area and make it a better place to live and visit.

A number of initiatives are currently helping address fuel poverty affecting Northumberland residents. The Warmer Homes Coalition, facilitated by NCC Planning and Housing continues to bring together a range of partners to place information, advice and support in local communities and respond to shared insights, and seek and secure additional funding and resources.

Northumberland County Council’s award-winning Warmer Homes Team continue to deliver grant funded retrofit (or home energy efficiency upgrades) such as insulation, solar panels and heat pumps that help make homes warmer and safer while reducing carbon emissions and reducing fuel bills.

Inclusive Economy

Reducing inequalities through employment is the second theme of Northumberland's work with the Institute of Health Equity.

There are several partnerships and networks that continue to convene organisations to support people to move into work, retain their job, progress in work, change job, improve skills, or return to the labour market. These include: Northumberland Employment and Skills Partnership, The Northumberland Employability Network, and Northumberland Inclusive Economy Community Partnership.

Northumberland Skills, NCC Economic Development, SEND Education and Skills, Adult Social Care, Public Health and the Northeast and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB) are working collaboratively to design a multi-agency approach to health and work.

Community Hubs have championed opportunities for those with a physical and/or learning differences to access volunteering and employment opportunities and help prepare for adulthood.

Education, SEND & Skills have worked with and supported providers to raise the quantity of Supported Internships delivered in Northumberland.

North East Combined Authority funding is also now enabling a Supported Employment pathway for residents with additional needs for whom other programmes available are not appropriate.

Solid Foundations project continues to help address barriers to employment that Northumberland residents may be facing.

Northumberland Skills Welding & Fabrication Training Centre opened in Spring 2023 using £1.3m funding secured by NCC.

A new Energy Central Learning Hub has opened in Blyth with teaching commencing in September 2024. This is a partnership between the Council, Port of Blyth, and the Offshore and Renewable Energy Catapult and is focussed on being employer-led.

The In Work Support project, funded by the North East Combined Authority, across Northumberland, North Tyneside, and Newcastle is developing a better understanding of the challenges businesses face in staff retention and progression and developing potential solutions.

Northern Learning Trust work among deprived communities to provide access to education, skills and employability support for those furthest from employment or education.

Citizens Advice Northumberland (CAN) provide employment hubs in Alnwick, Amble, Haltwhistle, Hexham, Morpeth and Prudhoe and have partnered with Glendale Gateway Trust and Bellview to operate satellite hubs in Wooler and Belford.

The Board received an update from NCC, Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (NHCT) and Cumbria Northumberland & Tyne & Wear NHST Foundation Trust (CNTW) at the January 2025 H&WB meeting on their actions under this priority.

On the 10th March the Northumberland County Partnership agreed to the establishment of a Northumberland Anchor Institution Network and the development of a Local Employer Commitment.

The Cambois Data Centre Campus will be one of the largest in Europe, representing a significant inward investment of up to £10 billion, with an additional £5-10 billion potential from end user investments.

Increasing Equity in Access to Transport

Being able to move around local neighbourhoods and reach economic, social and healthcare opportunities is a critical enabler of health and wellbeing.

The Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy includes four key action areas: transport policies, strategies and plans; addressing barriers to connectivity; encouraging active and sustainable travel; and growing public transport and community transport initiatives.

Northumberland Council Strategic Transport Team have contributed to the development of the new North East Local Transport Plan, which will be published by the North East Combined Authority in March 2025.

NCC currently have 12 draft Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans (LCWIPs) for each of Northumberland’s main 12 towns, each including multiple proposed schemes.

Five community conversations have now been completed across Northumberland using the Place Standard Tool to understand how local people view their area and the aspects they value. These have been held in Hirst, Bedlington, Cramlington, Lynemouth, and most recently Blyth.

As transport is a significant contributor to non-attendance of healthcare appointments, Northumbria Healthcare Trust have commenced a quality improvement programme to address travel and transport barriers.

A new walking and cycling route opened in July 2024 that connects the centre of Ponteland to Callerton Park Metro, which enables onwards connectivity to Newcastle City airport and Newcastle Central Station.

Two active travel corridors are planned. One in Blyth and one in Ashington.

A new walking and cycling route between Hexham and Corbridge will connect the two towns including key links to Hexham rail and bus station, town centre links and Hexham hospital. In addition, a West to East connection will run from Bedlington to Cambois beach running past Sleekburn and proposed Energy park and linking into the NCN1 cycle network.

Behaviour change schemes across Northumberland support people to travel more actively. Northumberland have recently begun working with Outspoken cycle training who will take on the delivery of Bikeability cycle training across the county.

Modeshift Stars is a national award scheme for schools that aims to replace short car journeys with walking or cycling. Stannington Primary school has been engaging with Modeshift Stars for the past five years to reduce traffic congestion and promote walking, scooting and cycling, to school.

The Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) is an initiative funded by the Department for Transport to promote and increase bus use across the region through a series of fares initiatives and bus service enhancements.

In addition, NCC are supporting Community Transport providers by funding additional community transport services and the provision of grant funding to purchase a number of new vehicles.

0-19 Growing Healthy Northumberland Summary Report January 2024-2025

The Health and Well-being Board were scheduled to receive an update on the 0-19 Growing Healthy Service, and assurance that the team deliver a high quality, responsive and effective service to the children, young people, and families (CYP&F) of Northumberland.

Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust (HDFT) has delivered the 0-19 Health Visiting and School Nursing contract in Northumberland from the 1 of October 2021.

The Healthy Families plan has been designed as part of the section 75 partnership arrangement and the service is moving towards delivery of this plan.

The core mandated contacts within Northumberland have changed to reflect the Healthy Child Program time scales, this has ensured adherence to national clinical guidance and evidenced based practice.

The Infant Feeding Team continue to develop infant feeding support for women and families and is an integral part of the 0-19 Service.

The Infant Feeding Team facilitate nine, weekly, Feeding Friends Groups which run across the County.

The Infant Feeding team support the delivery of the Henry Preparing for Parenthood Programme, in partnership with Family Hubs.

Health Visitors have received iHV perinatal mental health training on emotional wellbeing visits.

The universal 3–4-month contact has been reintroduced in Northumberland, Health visitors will complete when families are receiving specialist or targeted support.

Newborn Behavioural Observation (NBO) training has been undertaken by our Health Visitors and is offered universally at the new birth or 6–8-week assessment.

ELIM- Speech and Language assessment has been embedded to support the assessment of speech and language development.

The 2-year Integrated review has been co created with Early Years partners.

The service has participated in the Eyes on the Baby (EOTB) training.

In partnership with Early Years and Specialist SEND leads SOPs have been developed for notification to local authority for section 23 arrangements, NCARD and ENCHP advice requests.

A pathway has been embedded that identifies families transferring into refuges in Northumberland.

Staff have worked hard to reduce waiting times within the Public Health pillar.

An evidenced based bladder and bowel approach has been introduced, this includes a bladder and bowel digital workshop, and or advice that follows the tier 1 eric guidance.

The National Child measurement programme has been delivered in full- and in-time scale for 23/24, 24-25 has commenced.

Relax Kids and Charge Up continue to be delivered on a rolling programme, across all localities within Northumberland.

The Safeguarding pillar have influenced and lead a 3-month Safeguarding Opt out pilot.

Northumberland’s Community Anchor used data and intelligence to highlight and champion housing inequalities, engaging Key delivery partners in the co-creation of an integrated housing pathway.

Utilising HDFT’s home environment assessment tool (HEAT), staff identified living conditions in homes which were not conducive with health and wellbeing, such as damp/mould, cold temperatures, and structural disrepair. In response, a referral was made to the appropriate service, resulting in a multiagency action plan.

0-19 Growing Healthy Northumberland Summary Report January 2024-2025

The 0-19 Service are leading on the Baby Box initiative in Northumberland. The Baby Boxes are funded by the North of Tyne Combined Authority as part of their Child Poverty Prevention Programme.

The service has been working with colleagues across all HDFT 0-19 services to embed the Hopes for Healthcare into service delivery.

In September 2024, 5 newly qualified Health Visitors came into post across Northumberland, having completed the Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (SCPHN) Programme at Teesside University.

Growing Healthy 0-19 Northumberland have increased the range of social media platforms to the meet the need and choice of service user preferences.

In 2024 Growing healthy 0-19 Northumberland launched as a distributor for the UK National Data Bank through the Good Things Foundation, providing sim cards for those most in need.

The app continues its ongoing expansion, with the recent addition of ReciteMe.

The Northumberland estate strategy has continued over the year across all five localities.

Work will continue in 2025 to establish a permanent hub base in Blyth (L3) and to consider further rationalisation of spoke sites in Localities 1 and 2.

The Enhanced Parenting Pathway (EPP) will continue to be developed in 2025.

In response to Healthwatch engagement with service users and subsequent report, the service will continue to work in partnership with Healthwatch to develop and work through an action plan.

Health and Wellbeing Board – Forward Plan

The Health and Wellbeing Board were scheduled to note/discuss details of forthcoming agenda items at future meetings.