The Community Leadership Overview and Scrutiny Committee of Tendring District Council met on Tuesday, 23 September 2025, to discuss youth mental health in coastal communities and to review its work programme. The committee was also scheduled to discuss the membership of various task and finish groups.

Youth Mental Health

The committee was scheduled to discuss youth mental health in two parts.

Firstly, the committee was to receive research findings from the University of Essex's Centre for Coastal Communities (CCC) regarding the prevalence of mental health issues among young people in coastal communities. Dr Emily Murray, Director of the CCC, was expected to present the findings. The report pack included the key research findings that:

Young adults residing in the most deprived coastal areas had three times the risk of experiencing undiagnosed mental distress compared to young adults from equally deprived inland areas.

The report also contained policy recommendations for both national and local government. These included prioritising the reduction of waiting times for mental health treatment, incentivising recruitment of mental health staff to deprived coastal communities, increasing spending on preventative mental health programmes, and prioritising the location of Young Future Hubs in deprived coastal communities.

Secondly, the committee was to discuss the mental health services available for children and young people in Tendring. The aim was to highlight the level of poor mental health in children and the specific provision locally to diagnose young people's mental health issues, and to consider actions and activities that may have a beneficial impact on health inequalities locally.

The report pack listed a range of local services, including Southend, Essex and Thurrock Children's and Adolescent's Mental Health Service (SET CAMHS), Essex Child & Family Wellbeing Service, Youth Enquiry Service (YES), Tendring Wellbeing and Intervention Services (TWIS) CIC, and many more.

Work Programme

The committee was scheduled to discuss its approved Work Programme for 2025/26, feedback on previous recommendations, and a list of forthcoming decisions.

The report pack included the approved Work Programme for 2025/26, feedback on decisions related to previous recommendations, and a list of forthcoming decisions for which public notice had been given.

The committee was also to consider reappointing the Joint Working with Town and Parish Councils Task and Finish Group and the Provision of out of School Organised Activities and Events Task and Finish Working Group. It was also scheduled to decide whether to continue with the work of the Crime and Disorder (familial violence/abuse) Task and Finish Group.

The Public Reports Pack included a table of Community Leadership Overview and Scrutiny Committee Enquiries to be Undertaken in 2025/26. This included planned reviews of:

• Crime and Disorder (Familial Violence/Abuse)
• Coastal Communities Unit
• Joint working with Parish & Town Councils in the District
• Youth Provision of School age Children
• Grant Funding
• Joint working with Braintree and Colchester Scrutiny Panels/Committees
• Community Governance Review
• Carnarvon Terrace Progress / Implementation
• Crime & Disorder Reduction Strategy 2025-28
• Water Quality

The committee was also scheduled to consider the appropriate date for its next meeting, when the outcome of the first phase of consultation under the Community Governance Review for Clacton-on-Sea, Holland-on-Sea and Jaywick Sands was scheduled to be reported.

During the consideration of this item, Councillor Graham Steady, Chairman of the Community Leadership Overview & Scrutiny Committee, intended to reference discussions he has held with those involved in a University of Essex research programme examining Managing the environmental impact of antifouling biocides in recreational marinas through stakeholder engagement .