The Cabinet meeting on 24 April 2024 saw the approval of a new Community Engagement Strategy for 2024-2028, aimed at fostering a more inclusive and responsive council. Significant progress was also noted on the Women's Safety Action Plan, with many recommendations already implemented or in progress, and decisions were made regarding new regulatory functions for social housing and contract extensions for vital youth services.

Community Engagement Strategy 2024-2028

The Cabinet approved the new Community Engagement Strategy for 2024-2028, which outlines the council's vision to be a council that listens to communities to build a borough that works for everyone. This strategy, developed in consultation with 328 stakeholders including residents, partners, staff, and elected members, identifies six key objectives. These include fostering a joined-up approach to engagement, enabling communities to co-decide on borough improvements, ensuring the council can reach all residents, equipping staff with the necessary skills, making the impact of community involvement clear, and encouraging residents to become more involved in their communities and future leaders. The strategy also emphasizes principles of good practice, such as timely and resourced engagement, treating the community as equal partners, and being open and honest about what can and cannot be influenced. The development of the strategy involved extensive consultation, including online surveys, workshops, and pop-up sessions, to ensure a diverse range of voices were heard. The council committed to monitoring progress through an annual residents' survey and specific engagement experience surveys.

Women's Safety Action Plan

The Cabinet reviewed the Women's Safety Action Plan, which has been developed in response to seven recommendations made by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee in February 2023. The report highlighted that many of these recommendations have already been implemented or are in progress. Key actions include the launch of an anti-misogyny campaign in the night-time economy, the mainstreaming of a zero-tolerance approach to misogyny in the licensing policy, and the development of a new Women's Resource Centre. The plan also details work with schools to raise awareness of domestic abuse, strengthening partnerships with Residential Social Landlords (RSLs) to address safety on estates, and efforts to recruit more representative women into the police force. The council also committed to championing women's safety issues through various channels, including training for councillors. The report noted that the cost of developing the action plan is within the existing budget, but further development may incur additional costs.

New Social Housing Regulatory Functions and Nominees to Adopt

The Cabinet approved the appointment of individuals to two new regulatory functions for social housing landlords, as required by the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 and the Charter for Social Housing Residents. Councillor Kabir Ahmed, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Inclusive Development and Housebuilding, presented the report, recommending that Michael Keelin, Director of Housing Asset Management, be appointed as the Health and Safety Lead. This role will be responsible for monitoring and assessing risks related to health and safety compliance in social housing. Additionally, Paul Paterson, Corporate Director for Housing and Regeneration, was recommended for appointment as the Responsible Person. This role will oversee compliance with new consumer standards for social housing residents. These appointments are crucial for ensuring compliance with new legislation and demonstrating accountability to tenants and the Regulator of Social Housing.

Contract Extension for Young People's Supported Housing Pathway

The Cabinet approved a six-month contract extension for the Young People's Supported Housing Pathway (YPSHP) to ensure service continuity for vulnerable young people. The original tender process for the YPSHP did not yield bids of sufficient quality to meet the council's requirements. The extension, from June to December 2024, will allow for a comprehensive service review, market engagement, and the redesign of the pathway before a new tender process is undertaken. This decision aims to ensure that the recommissioned service provides the best possible outcomes for young people at risk of homelessness and those on the edge of care. The extension will cost £1,016,839 and will be funded from the existing revenue budget.

Contract Extension for School Health and Wellbeing Service and Integrated Young People's Health and Wellbeing Service

The Cabinet approved an eight-month contract extension for the School Health and Wellbeing Service and the Integrated Young People's Health and Wellbeing Service (Safe East). This extension is necessary because the recent procurement process for the new Children and Young People's Health and Wellbeing Service (CYPHWS) did not deliver best value. The extension, from August 2024 to March 2025, will allow for the completion of the retendering process and a four-month mobilisation period for the new service. This phased approach is crucial due to the term-time nature of the services and the need to manage staff transfers (TUPE) effectively. The extension will ensure the continued delivery of essential services, including the Healthy Child Programme and sexual health support for young people, avoiding a suspension of services and potential reputational damage. The cost of the extension will be covered by the Public Health Grant.