Minutes:
The Elected Mayor began by thanking both the Elected Members and officers for their hard work, support and commitment to the improvement of the borough throughout the last year.
Following the refresh of the Council Plan and its focus on the five themes (a Thriving, Family-friendly, Caring, Secure and Green North Tyneside), the Elected Mayor set out the achievements and plans for these themes.
Thriving:
· Preparation of regeneration master plans for North Shields and Wallsend, and the initiating of the same for the North West.
· Completion of a draft Conservation Area Management Strategy for North Shields.
· Improvements to a range of derelict land and properties.
· The continuation of support for job creation and apprenticeships in Planning, as well as the publication of updated Employment Land Review.
· The publication of a Cultural Plan and the establishment of a Boroughwide Cultural Partnership to drive it forward.
· A diverse events programme that has seen visitor numbers continue to increase and support town centres.
· Investment in The Exchange in North Shields, marking the beginning of the transformation of the area into a Cultural Quarter.
· The new Transport Hub and town square in North Shields.
· The redevelopment of Northumberland Square and Howard Street as part of North Shields Heritage Action Zone continuing.
· Delivering the final year of the ‘Made in North Tyneside’ programme which provided support and guidance to start-up to businesses across the Borough.
· The encouragement of individuals considering starting a business and supporting the growth of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises with consultancy and workshops.
· Securing £750k to deliver a refreshed Business Factory to provide support to all types of businesses and supporting the Business Forum to deliver their programme of activity.
· Working in partnership with Invest North East England and the North of Tyne Combined Authority to promote the area to potential investors.
· Supporting the delivery of new, and affordable, homes in new developments like Rake Lane.
· The Embankment Walkway project work is hoped to be completed in 2024.
· Keeping all our leisure and library facilities open alongside continuing investment for the future.
· The retention of blue and green flags for our parks and beaches.
Thriving Future Plans:
· The 2024 opening of a new £4m sports hub at St Peters Playing field with external funding from the Football Foundation and Rugby/Football league.
· Planning has commenced for North Shields 800 and a year of celebration in 2025.
· Launching / delivering the first year of the new Business Factory programme
· Continuing to work closely with Invest North East England and regional partners to attract new businesses and jobs.
Family Friendly:
· The Mayor stated that the 0-19 Children's Public Health Service had received an overall good rating by the CQC and was rated as outstandingin the category ‘well led’. Breastfeeding and support for parent infant relationships was featured as an outstanding practice.
· The childcare offer remained available to families across the borough, working with a range of schools and the private, voluntary and independent sector. Plans had also begun for the national expansion of the government funded childcare offer.
· A Strategic Education Review was underway to ensure that we maintain a sustainable, sufficient and high-quality educational system in partnership with schools which enabled all children and young people to achieve positive outcomes.
· The School Rebuilding Programme continues to progress, and in addition to the new school building at Whitley Bay High School, Wellfield Middle, Redesdale Primary, Marden Bridge Middle, and George Stephenson High Schools have all been identified by the DfE for rebuilding.
· The new 10 classroom extension at Beacon Hill School continues to progress well, on target for completion in Easter 2024.
· A new Attendance Strategy is being drafted and will be circulated to schools for comments in the near future.
· The DfE announced in June that the Authority will receive over £4m in capital funding. Officers are working on detailed plans for this investment to support and address our SEN provision across borough.
Family Friendly Future Plans :
· In the coming months the 0-19 Children’s Public Health Service will be working with local partners and the North of Tyne Combined Authority to provide baby boxes to first-time parents who are particularly impacted by the current challenges with the cost-of-living crisis.
Caring:
· The Authority continues to manage significant pressures in local acute hospitals well in comparison to the national picture.
· Continued our effective joint working with Integrated Care Board.
· Created a new Care Pathway post that will work between health and social care to optimise care pathways for residents.
· Provided new extra care services at Havelock Place and Clifford’s Mews.
· We are looking to provide extra care flats and step-down beds at Howdon as an alternative to residential care for residents on discharge from hospital.
· The Drug and Alcohol Residential Rehab pathway has been developed.
· We have continued to support care providers in times of high inflation with an above inflation increase in fees for care homes and homecare providers. Homecare providers received a fee increase in 2022/23 to allow them to pay the real living wage to their staff and this has been maintained in 2023/24.
· A review of the council’s ‘My Care’ website has been completed to help people access the support they need more easily.
· We launched the Baby Breathe Pilot aimed at helping women who have quit smoking during pregnancy.
· Provided funding to our local Voluntary and Community Sector to bespoke weight management programmes and support to over 300 residents in communities experiencing inequalities.
· Established joint working with environmental health, health visitors and housing colleagues to identify and address damp and mould in homes across the borough.
Caring Future Plans:
· Deliver improvements in our joint commissioning of specialist services.
· Continue to promote direct payments to increase choice and control.
· Explore the roll out of technology as part of support packages.
· Capitalise on and support delivery of Better Care Fund and discharge funding with our Integrated Care Board colleagues.
· To continue to drive forward the partnership working to meet the ambitions of the Joint Local Health & Wellbeing Strategy: Equally Well: A Healthier, Fairer Future for North Tyneside 2021-2025 to improve health and reduce health inequalities across North Tyneside.
Secure:
· Continuing to invest in our roads and pavements.
· We have successfully delivered several sea wall renewal schemes to protect our coastline from damage and erosion.
· Council wardens continue to work in partnership with Northumbria Police to prevent and tackle all forms of antisocial behaviour.
· We have reduced the levels of Anti-social behaviour at the coast with Operation Coastwatch and Operation Maple through a high visibility joint approach with Northumbria Police.
Secure Future Plans:
· We will continue to work with our partners and the police to prevent and reduce serious violence like knife and gun crime.
· To look at what we can offer as Authority along with our partners to help steer people away from crime and anti-social behaviour.
Green:
· The Air Quality Strategy (2023-2028) was approved by Cabinet in June 2023 and sets out the main objectives over the next five years to improve Air Quality.
· Significant funding was secured for the delivery of the seafront cycle scheme. The first phase will start this year, with the remainder of the route to be completed through 2024. A number of other major cycling and pedestrian improvement schemes were also completed.
· The upgrading of three existing, and the creation of six new, EV charge points within a selected number of the Council’s off street car parks.
· Continued to support the delivery of the Northumberland line.
· Developed the Business Factory programme to support the Action for Climate Change initiative and help businesses of all sizes understand and contribute to the journey to Net Zero.
· Installed 100 bins in new locations and introduced additional resources to help crack down on littering.
· Additional resources introduced to enhance environmental maintenance standards, along with three new pedestrian sweepers.
· A dedicated seafront litter management team will help maintain cleanliness during seasonal peaks.
· We reduced the carbon footprint of the Council by 58% in 22/23, ahead of the 2023 target of 50%.
· Delivered a range of projects to support delivery of the Carbon Net-Zero Action Plan e.g. solar PV and battery storage at the Killingworth Depot, low carbon heating systems in leisure centres and heating, insulation and renewable energy systems in resident’s homes.
· We have established the Borough-wide Climate Emergency Board to work with large businesses and public sector organisations to drive down carbon emissions.
· We have planted over 10,000 trees across 15 hectares in the borough, easily exceeding the Tree Planting Strategy 2024 target of 2,400.
Green Future Plans:
· Continuing to actively monitor the air quality in North Tyneside and publishing an action plan of the steps taken and the national investment sought to make North Tyneside carbon net-zero by 2030.
· We will secure funding to help low-income households to install low-carbon heating.
· Looking to increase the amount of waste including additional electrical recycling and vapes) that can be recycled and introduce food waste collections and deposit return schemes.
· To develop a Local Nature Recovery Strategy with Newcastle City Council and Northumberland Council.
In closing, the Mayor spoke on the General Fund pressure of £11.3m, the majority of which was related to Social Care with £8.3m within our Children’s and Adults Services.
The Mayor mentioned the other pressures facing the Authority, including both the Home to School Transport and Catering Services driven by several factors including an increase in pupils qualifying for support and inflationary pressures from food, staffing and energy costs as well as a reduction in the take up by several schools.
The Elected Mayor stated that many of the challenges in the current year could roll forward into 2024/25 if action is not taken, and therefore the Cabinet and SLT would continue to address the in-year and future year mitigations in a consistent way through the MTFP.
The Mayor stated that the Authority would continue to be committed to supporting the most vulnerable residents, local communities and businesses wherever possible within the funding streams.
Whilst there continued to be uncertainty for the overall level of funding, the Mayor committed to approach the medium-term financial planning in a robust way and set a balanced budget for 2024/25 and beyond.
The Chair thanked the Elected Mayor for the thorough report in highlighting officers and members work done for the benefit of North Tyneside’s residents in a difficult financial climate.
A member raised a question about funding for the North Tyneside Transport Hub, and the Mayor and Deputy Mayor that stated that the funding information had already been made available to members.
A question was raised about road and pavement repairs, and a discussion took place around funding levels, the rate of inflation and the difficult choices being made amongst competing priorities.
A member raised a question regarding the current situation with school meal provision, and a discussion was held regarding non-statutory provision of services, and price matching.
The Mayor stated that she had an open door policy and was happy to meet and discuss matters whenever possible.
It was Agreed that the Annual Report of the Elected Mayor be noted.