Issue - meetings

Report of the Strategic Director of Place

Presented by the Community Services Portfolio Holder

The Community Services Portfolio Holder presented the report to members. She highlighted that one of the key actions within the 2018/19 Council Delivery Plan was to work with health partners to develop a health and wellbeing strategy for North West Leicestershire and that the strategy would determine priorities for the delivery of health and wellbeing locally, identifying where and how the various agencies and partners involved could contribute to support it. She stated that it would consider, amongst other things, areas such as physical activity, mental health, substance misuse, smoking, teenage pregnancy, air pollution, breastfeeding initiation, diet and nutrition, road safety, and winter deaths, setting out a long term vision until 2023 which would be supported by a shorter term action plan.

She informed Members that as it was a district wide strategy not just a council one, it was imperative that engagement took place with a wide range of partners to help deliver against the priorities. Internally, it would include engagement with members and service areas including Planning, Environmental Health, Safer and Stronger Communities, Housing, Environmental Protection and Cultural Services. External partners who would be engaged would include-:

•           Public Health

•           Clinical Commissioning Group

•           Leicestershire County Council

•           County Sports Partnership

•           Sport England

•           Local Strategic Partnership

•           Parish and Town councils

•           NWL Staying Healthy Partnership

•           NWL Local Sports Alliance

•           Schools

•           Voluntary groups

She felt that Cabinet would agree that the health of the residents was of primary importance to give everyone the best opportunity for an improved quality of life and that it was important to remember as well that improving the health of people could also have significant impact upon other socio­economic benefits such as increasing confidence, reducing social isolation, improving educational attainment and increasing employment prospects, to name a few.

She highlighted that the report set out the methodology by which the strategy would be developed and that it also sought approval for the Council to formally adopt a number of supporting documents which would help to underpin the strategy, something which she urged Members to fully support. These were:-

•           North West Leicestershire Playing Pitch Strategy

•           North West Leicestershire Sports Facilities Framework Audit

•               Leicester-Shire and Rutland Sport and Physical Activity and Sport         Strategy

•               Sport England Active Design Guidance

The Chairman invited Councillor T Eynon to speak on the item. She put the following question to Councillor A V Smith:

“I welcome this Council’s intention to develop a strategy that will “determine the clear vision and associated priorities for the future for facilitation and delivery of health and wellbeing locally”.

The principles of this Council’s constitution require that Cabinet decisions are clear in their aims and desired outcomes, taking account of professional advice from officers.

This Health and Wellbeing Strategy will be a guiding policy as this Council develops its facilities for the future. The interim outline strategy stage 5 asks the authority to consider its “Priorities; what should they be...and why”. It also suggests that  ...  view the full minutes text for item 118