The Education and Local Economy Scrutiny Commission meeting included a discussion of youth employment support, an update on the East Street Market renovation, and a report on the Southwark Safeguarding Children Partnership. The commission was also scheduled to discuss draft scrutiny recommendations and its work programme for the year.

Youth Employment Support

The Education and Local Economy Scrutiny Commission was scheduled to 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 included background information on the council's commitment to supporting young people into employment, education and training.

The report pack outlined that Southwark Council aimed to ensure young people are well-prepared to pursue any career, regardless of background, and have access to support for employment. The council's efforts are spread across various service areas, including:

• Education (Education Business Alliance)
• Local Economy (Southwark Works, Connect to Work, School Leaver Internships, Southwark Skills Partnership, Youth Opportunities Bulletin)
• Corporate Parenting (Employment support for care-experienced young people)
• Youth Service (OneHub)
• Organisational Development (council apprenticeships and internships)

The report pack referred to the council’s Southwark 2030 strategy, which envisions a fair green and safe Southwark where everyone can live a good life. It also mentioned the Southwark Economic Strategy 2023-30, which aims to prepare young people for any career, and includes a Southwark Youth Deal as a delivery theme.

The Southwark Youth New Deal, launched in Spring 2021, was designed to demonstrate the council's commitments to supporting young people. A key priority was Pathways into employment and enterprise for young people, which led to the development of the monthly Youth Opportunities Bulletin and OneHub¹, a digital information hub.

The report pack also detailed a range of support services available to young people, including:

• Southwark Works Employment Support Service: A network of providers offering tailored employment support services for those facing multiple barriers to employment.
• Apprenticeships: The council champions apprenticeships within its own workforce and supports local employers in developing apprenticeships. The Passmore Centre at LSBU² supports small Southwark employers in taking on new apprentices and upskilling staff.
• Southwark Skills Partnership: A partnership to ensure residents have access to a first-class skills system, comprising skills providers, employment support services, employers and council services.
• Education Business Alliance (EBA): Brings schools and businesses together through engaging projects, preparing young people for the world of work.
• School Leaver Internships: The Southwark Council Delivery Plan 2022-26 includes a commitment to create 250 paid internships for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
• OneHub: A digital hub for young people and families to navigate activities and youth services.
• Southwark Youth Opportunities Bulletin: A monthly e-bulletin sharing information on employment, work experience and training opportunities.

The report pack also described targeted services for vulnerable young people, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), care leavers, and those involved with the criminal justice system. These include the Southwark Local Offer, the Southwark Information, Advice and Support (SIAS) service, and the Connect to Work programme.

East Street Traders

The commission was scheduled to receive a report from Lindon on the East Street Market renovation project. The report pack included an overview of progress made between November 2023 and January 2025, including trader engagement and research, a mystery shopping and safety survey, capacity building and upskilling, market branding guidelines, a proof of concept for solar panels, a market charter, a market newsletter, a community impact co-ordinator, safety guidelines, and a website for traders.

The report pack included the outcomes of trader engagement and research, including concerns raised by traders regarding parking, pitch fees, pedestrianisation, market facilities, advertising, market management, support for new traders, and community engagement. Customers expressed the desire for a greater variety of stalls, increased advertising, adequate parking and storage, better facilities, and improved health and safety.

A mystery shopping and health and safety survey raised concerns about cash-only stalls, unapproachable traders, unmarked plastic bags, stalls encroaching on the pavement, poor waste management, and out-of-date produce.

Capacity building and upskilling initiatives included business development and operational considerations, such as determining price points, attracting customers, product quality, marketing approaches, connecting shop owners with market traders, customer service training, and health and safety training.

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

A proof of concept for a solar panel barrow was completed, which can power lighting and electrical equipment, reduce wastage, and feed excess power into the electrical grid.

A market charter was created, 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 in collaboration with the Southwark Association of Street Traders and Shop Owners (SASTSO).

The Community Impact Coordinator undertook an impact journey, engaging directly with traders at the market and offering smaller, practical changes that didn’t require traders to leave their stalls or risk losing business.

Following a fatality, safety guidelines were designed, 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 business information, stories, and photographs, with the aim of connecting traders to new customers and attracting them to the market.

The report pack also outlined obstacles and challenges, including council deliverables not implemented, inefficient market management processes, confusion with re-consultation on gazebos, limited waste facilities, and underused and dilapidated buildings.

Recommendations included fully delivering wifi and lighting, ensuring traders are using new branded gazebos, pedestrianising East Street, using Nursery Row Park as part of the market, creating Southwark’s first solar panel-powered market, providing permanent market barrows, implementing a recycling strategy, improving signage and wayfinding, creating workspace for young entrepreneurs, improving shop fronts, and putting independent and professional market management in place.

Southwark Safeguarding Children Partnership (SSCP)

The commission was scheduled to receive a report from Alasdair Smith, Director, Children & Families on the Southwark Safeguarding Children Partnership (SSCP). The report pack outlined the work of the SSCP and its priorities for action for 2025–2026, in response to the updated statutory guidance, Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023.

The report pack stated that the SSCP's primary objective is to ensure that local safeguarding arrangements and partners act to help and protect children. The partnership holds agencies to account for their key safeguarding responsibilities, including ensuring that those who work with children know what to do if they are concerned about possible harm, that action is taken quickly when concerns are reported, and that agencies ensure their services are safe and monitor service quality and impact.

The report pack outlined that the lead safeguarding partners are Southwark Council, the South East London (SEL) Integrated Care Board (ICB), and the Metropolitan Police Service (MET). The lead safeguarding partners have delegated these functions to Alasdair Smith, Director Children’s Services, Southwark Borough Council, Vanessa Britton, Detective Superintendent, Metropolitan Police, and Darren Summers, Strategic Director for Integrated Health and Care/Southwark Place Executive Lead.

The report pack stated that the current chairing arrangement is for a rotating chair for one year, and that children’s services will be taking the chair from April 2025.

The SSCP has a methodology for an independent scrutineer in place, and the SSCP Executive have agreed to review the system of scrutiny in Southwark so that all quality assurance methods are utilised including the possible use of young scrutineers.

The report pack stated that the SSCP Executive has 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 included 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.

Work Programme 2024-25

The commission was scheduled to note the work programme for the 2024-25 year. The work programme included items such as a presentation from a Parent Carer Forum representative on Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND), a discussion of Early Intervention and SEND, a Cabinet Member Interview with Councillor Jasmine Ali, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Children, Education & Refugees, a discussion of the Draft Town Centre Action Plan, a Cabinet Member Interview with Councillor John Batteson, Cabinet Member for Climate Emergency, Jobs & Business, an update on EHCPs, interviews with a retired headteacher and SEND tribunal mediator, a discussion of inclusions in schools, a discussion of working links between education and health, and a discussion of the Cabinet Response to Scrutiny Recommendations, 2023-24.