Agenda item

To receive a report from the Director of Schools and Children’s Services and Director of Regeneration, Leisure and Culture seeking approval of the development of the Child and Family Poverty Strategy and the strategic action plan.            (Report No.43)

Members are asked to note that the recommendations set out in the report were approved by Cabinet on 18 July 2012 for recommendation onto Council.  (Key decision – reference number 3381)

Councillor Taylor moved and Councillor Charalambous seconded the report of the Director of Schools and Children’s Services and Director of Regeneration, Leisure & Culture (No.43) seeking approval of the Child and Family Poverty Strategy and strategic action plan.

NOTED

1.      The recommendations set out in the report had been approved by Cabinet on 18 July 2012 for referral on to Council.

2.      The Strategy had been designed as a major cross Council and Partnership activity and had been designed to address a significant area of social concern as well as meet the Council’s statutory duty under the Child Poverty Act 2010.

3.      Whilst recognising the Council’s limited capacity to address, as a single organisation, the issue of children and family poverty the strategy had been developed to identify, coordinate and build on the extensive range of partnership activity already focussed on this issue across the Borough.

4.      The Strategy was accompanied by an Action Plan which had identified two challenging ambitions and seven aims, each with a key priority, as detailed within Appendix 1 of the report.  These aims had been drawn from a range of council and partnership plans and where possible would be delivered by extending and adapting existing services and from within existing resource provision.  They would also act as Enfield’s Life Chance Indicators and included performance management measures.

5.      The concerns highlighted in relation to:

a.      The potential impact of the Government’s Universal Benefit & Welfare Reform programme;

b.      The lack of new proposals and focus of the strategy and action plan around existing plans and strategies.

6.      The Enfield Strategic Partnership (ESP) had endorsed the strategy and adopted combating child and family poverty as one of its “cross cutting” issues.  The work of partners across the ESP had been mapped as part of the development of the strategy with the aim of identifying any gaps and coordinating activities to deliver multiple benefits (including neighbourhood and economic regeneration, education & training, healthier lifestyles and wellbeing) as well as enabling smarter working between service providers and more efficient use of resources.

7.      The consultation process undertaken as part of the development of the strategy, as detailed in section 3 of the report.

After a debate the recommendations were put to the vote, with the following results:

For: 28

Against: 0

Abstention: 22

AGREED

(1)    To approve the Child and Family Poverty Strategy and the Strategic Action Plan, incorporating consultation feedback.

(2)    To note that the individual Thematic Action Groups of the ESP will drive forward, co-ordinate and monitor progress towards achieving the aims, priorities and ambitions of the Strategy.

(3)    To approve the seven Key Aims and Priorities identified within the Strategic Action Plan (Appendix 1).

(4)    To approve the two challenging ambitions to:

(a)    reduce the percentage of children living in poverty, by 2020, to 25% (compared to 36% in 2008); and

(b)    narrow the gap between the most and least deprived wards, in child poverty terms, from the current gap of 42% to 30% also by 2020.