Agenda and draft minutes

To receive apologies for absence from the meeting.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Hawkins and Councillor Shepherd. Councillor Pennington was present as substitute for Councillor Hawkins and Councillor Hodson was present as substitute for Councillor Shepherd.

Confirmation of the Minutes of the meeting held on Wednesday 13 March 2024.

Chair reviewed the minutes dated 13 March 2024 with members page by page.

It was proposed by Councillor Harding, seconded by Councillor Smith and –

Resolved:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 13 March 2024 be agreed as a correct record and signed.

(Vote:7 For, 1 Abstention)

15 minute period for public contributions. The deadline for registering to speak is by 2pm Monday 22 April 2024.

Chair introduced Ron Skinner and advised that, because the issue to be discussed was not an agenda item it could not be debated.

Ron Skinner presented to members on the issue of the ‘madness of net zero’.

Following the presentation Chair thanked Mr Skinner and advised that TDC had declared a climate emergency as a Council and also had an established Councillor Climate Change Working Group.

To review the Action List.

Chair reviewed the Action List with members and the following was agreed:

199 – Members were updated on plans for special joint committees with North Devon on Agriculture and Dentistry. Members raised if a Joint Committee would be taking place to follow up on CQC report for new healthcare trust.  Chair agreed to contact North Devon regarding this.

212 – Chair updated members on progress since the Link Centre closures had been confirmed. During discussion Councillor Pennington requested Devon Carers be invited to the committee in relation to the support needed now Link Centres have closed. 

Councillor Hodson updated on the outcome of the Health and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee at Devon County Council – it was confirmed that Members had committed to reviewing the impact of the closure within 12 months, to ensure that the commitment to find additional support networks had been achieved. 

Councillor Hodson agreed to report back to committee and members agreed on the need to monitor the situation.

220 – It was confirmed that childcare provision was an item on the forward plan and Councillor Cottle-Hunkin provided members with an update on the national picture. It was suggested that the new Family Hub model be investigated. 

237 – An update was provided by the Chair and members were invited to attend a school visit with Cllr Cottle-Hunkin for feedback at a future committee.  

246 – Councillor Cottle-Hunkin declared an interest as a member of the Active Torridge Board. 

246 – It was confirmed a letter had been drafted and would be shared with Lendology before being sent.

Members with interests should refer to the agenda item and describe the nature of their interest when the item is considered.

Members were reminded that declarations of interest should be made as and when the specific agenda item to which they related was under discussion.

There were no Part II items.

None received.

An opportunity to hear from James Lewis, Operations Manager at The Pickwell Foundation.

Chair introduced James Lewis, Operations Manager from The Pickwell Foundation. Members were advised that the purpose of the presentation was to an overview of The Pickwell Foundation and their work with Torridge District Council (TDC).

The Operations Manager provided a detailed presentation for members covering the work of The Pickwell Foundation.

The Community Sponsorship programme was explained and it was confirmed that 9 families had been supported in North Devon and Torridge. Group work and housing provision were also highlighted and it was confirmed a new group was planned for the Bideford area.

The Pickwell Foundation’s work in relation to Homes for Ukraine was then highlighted. It was confirmed that 383 Ukrainian guests had been supported, and further detail was provided on the support provided in the last 2 years. Including the work to support the Wings welcome hub in Bideford.

The Operations Manager went on to describe their work with Chivenor and the Ministry of Defence to support the resettlement of the Afghan community.

Work with those using irregular routes and the work with the dispersal hotel in Ilfracombe was then highlighted. The partnership work with organisations such as the NHS, the County Council and community groups was noted, along with how The Pickwell Foundation worked with Clearsprings – the organisation contracted by the Government to house Asylum Seekers in the South West. 

Members were advised a short film had been made of the work at Ilfracombe hotel and it was arranged for this to be shared outside of the meeting.

The working relationship with TDC was then summarised for members, along with the role of The Pickwell Foundation at a national level.

Members were asked for their questions.

Members asked for more detail when families move to new sponsors and inquired if these were local hosts still. The operations Manager confirmed that The Pickwell Foundation have continual recruitment in place for hosts and the vast majority of people are moved locally within northern Devon - the formal checking of host families and accommodation was also explained for context.

Discussion moved onto the impact, for TDC, of working with the Pickwell Foundation. The Head of Legal and Governance (& Monitoring Officer) referred back to the initial announcement of Homes for Ukraine, the complexities and lack of guidance and funding and how The Pickwell Foundation had helped minimise the impact. Their work to maintain relationships between hosts and guests was specifically mentioned. 

The current housing crisis was noted but it was stated actual presentations for housing had been very small and where they had presented, the stays had been short – as a result the impact had been limited.

Wrap around support was also discussed and the Head of Legal and Governance (& Monitoring Officer) explained how TDC had been able to support people and their families individual needs.  The important role of the Wings Hub - Friday’s hub was solely for Ukrainians – was explained in relation to this kind of support. 

However, funding was noted as a concern  ...  view the full minutes text for item 257.

To review the Forward Plan.

Members reviewed the Forward Plan and made some provisional suggestions for future meetings:

Member’s discussed arranging a panel to discuss the current childcare crisis. It was agreed this should include providers.

Members remained keen for Westward Housing to attend Committee, and it was requested that a residents group for Westward Housing be invited at the same time.

The Head of Legal and Governance (& Monitoring Officer) reminded members of the need to scrutinise the organisations that TDC fund.

It was confirmed that Royal Mail were on the list to invite for 2024-25.

Members raised the issue of domestic violence and abuse and the impact within the community.  This was suggested as a possible training need for the bite size training.

The support offered by the local food bank was also noted.