Agenda item

The purpose of this report is to provide an update on the development of a Community Engagement Framework (CEF).

Councillor Conneely welcomed Councillor Donnelly-Jackson, Cabinet Member for Customers, Communities & Culture, to introduce a report from the Corporate Director of Communities and Regeneration that provided an update on the development of the Council’s Community Engagement Framework (CEF). Zahur Khan, Corporate Director of Communities & Regeneration highlighted that the framework was in its infancy, however he was keen to use the meeting as an opportunity to seek the Committee’s views to support the development of the CEF with the overall aim of creating a framework that would achieve a consistent approach, using best practice to maximise engagement with the community and all stakeholders.

In the ensuing discussion the Committee raised the following points:

·                The Committee queried how co-production and co-design techniques were being incorporated to support the development of the CEF. In response the Committee was advised that in recognition of including the community on the journey of the development of the CEF it was paramount that the progression of the framework took an inclusive approach. The Council were working with independent advisors to support the co- design element to ensure a process that invited maximum engagement with community groups, officers, and residents. The element of co- production related to how the agreed plans would be taken forward to implementation. It was felt that prioritising community engagement in the initial stages of designing the CEF would see greater success at the implementation stages.

·                The Committee acknowledged that the CEF was in its early stages of development, however required clarity from officers that they had a clear vision going forward of what needed to happen to enact effective community practice. Officers advised that once the framework was in place, they would be in a better position to create a detailed action plan and planned to bring together a network of community organisations and stakeholders to support driving the framework forwards.

·                Following a Committee query in relation to how the new CEF would support a revised approach to Brent Connects meetings, the Committee was advised that officers recognised that at present Brent Connects meetings were not achieving an optimum level of engagement and effectiveness, however it was hoped that the creation of a new CEF would provide an opportunity to make delivery improvements to Brent Connects meetings that could include a mix of face to face and online meetings. Additionally, it was hoped that increased officer presence that included a member of CMT being present at each meeting would add weight to the process and increase public engagement. As well as the proposed delivery changes to Brent Connects meetings, officers advised that there were plans to improve the tracking of the discussions and actions agreed at the meetings with the introduction of an action log being published online after meetings to support residents in seeing the value of the process.

·                The Committee welcomed a revision in the way that Brent Connects meetings were delivered and queried if as part of the changes, consideration could be given to the different geographical areas that Brent Connects meetings were divided in to. Particular attention was drawn to the Wembley Brent Connects area that was felt to be too large, as so many wards were included. It was felt that given that a number of issues were unique to specific wards, that strong consideration should be given to re-examining the size and groupings of the Brent Connects areas. As well as this the Committee felt that residents needed to be better informed that meetings were taking place and that they could attend a Brent Connects meeting that may not be in their Ward, if there was a topic being discussed that was relevant to them; additionally, it was felt more consideration should be given to accessibility requirements to ensure no groups were excluded. In response the Committee was advised that there was no current plan to change the geographical Brent Connects areas, however, it was acknowledged that more should be done to promote Brent Connects meetings and that residents could attend meetings beyond their specific ward. Councillor Donnelly-Jackson, Cabinet Member for Customers, Communities & Culture advised that accessibility and inclusivity remained a high priority, it was noted that there was information provided on leaflets produced that stated that if the information was required in a different format, this could be made available; however it was acknowledged that there was more that could be done to support improved accessibility and this was accepted as an action to take forward.

·                Following a further Committee query into how Brent Connects meetings were promoted, and how community participation could be improved further, the Committee heard that Brent Connects meetings were currently promoted via flyers, social media, Ward Councillors and the Your Brent magazine. To enhance further meaningful public participation, it was suggested that Chairs and Vice Chairs of Brent Connects should actively seek feedback from residents to explore what they would like to see on the agenda.

·                The Committee felt that the  Your Brent magazine could be improved as an engagement tool, as concerns were raised that the magazine was not consistently distributed to every resident. Officers advised that this would be raised with the Comms team.

·                The Committee sought clarity as to why Kingston’s CEF had been chosen to share with the Committee as an example of best practice, in response the Committee was advised that Kingston’s CEF had been chosen as one example of good practice that provided a good visual model to the Committee to demonstrate how Brent intended to move forwards in the development of the CEF. Officers clarified that further examples of good practice would be sought from the LGA to gain as broad an understanding as possible into what should be included in an effective impactful CEF.

·                The Committee required clarity in relation to the themes identified so far, following officers’ engagement with residents and groups. The Committee was advised that the data gathered from recent engagement was not available yet, however once analysis had been completed, the findings would support shaping the principles of the CEF.

·                The Committee raised concerns that the list of community organisations that were consulted within the report was limited and did not represent a diverse enough cross section of the community, additionally, it was questioned why the two neighbourhood forums had not been included as statutory consultees. In response to the concerns raised, officers advised that the Council held a much larger list of community organisation, the 10 groups identified in the report were included as a small representation of some of the groups that would be consulted with.

·                The Committee felt strongly that relationships between key community organisations and thematic leads should be nurtured to maintain positive links between the Council and community to support the effective co-design and co-production of the CEF moving forward.

·                The Committee required clarity in relation to whether officers felt that outsourcing some of the community engagement work to acquire information to support the development of the CEF offered good value for money and if the outsourced company had adequate knowledge of the borough to ensure that engagement was correctly targeted and maximised. Officers advised that it was felt to be an appropriate and efficient use of funds as good quality independent feedback would be delivered to support identifying the next steps in the development of the CEF.

·                Following a Committee query in relation to how officers planned to engage with some of the traditionally harder to reach cohorts and new communities to Brent, the Committee was advised that officers were utilising the already established relationships between officers and specific groups, In addition to this it was hoped that Councillors would be able to support and promote within their wards and share any community links they had.

·                The Committee highlighted how important they felt it was that existing links with mutual aid groups and community champions were utilised effectively throughout the CEF development process.

·                In response to a Committee query regarding what officers hoped to achieve with the reformed CEF, the Committee heard that the Council wanted to gain a clearer governance structure outlining the expectations residents could expect, it was hoped that through greater consistency and communication an effective CEF would be produced that would support all future community work and affect positive outcomes within the community.

·                The Committee requested that if there were specific areas of improvement identified by the independent consultant, it would be helpful if these could be shared at a future Members Session.

·                The Committee enquired what plans were in place to monitor the impact of the CEF. Officers advised that once the framework was embedded in practice, a monitoring tool would be implemented to assess positive impact and respond appropriately to any areas that required improvement.

In closing the discussion, the Chair thanked officers and Committee Members for their contributions towards the scrutiny on the item before summarising the outcome of the discussions and additional actions, which were AGREED as follows:

Suggestions for Improvement

(1)      Revisit the current format of Brent Connects meetings; this should include a review of how agendas can be co-designed and driven by residents. Additionally, how the Council can address the gaps in engagement caused by the current geographical boundaries of Brent Connects areas. For instance, residents being assigned to areas which do not necessarily reflect what they consider their neighbourhoods.

(2)      The following groups should be included in the Community Engagement Framework  consultation and engagement activities –

·                Carers, including young carers

·                Young people

·                Brazilian communities

·                Goan communities

·                Any other emerging communities identified

·                Neighbourhood Forums

·                Trade Unions (in line with HR compliance)

·                Businesses

(3)      Undertake a member survey to engage Councillors on the development of the Framework, including stakeholders the Council should be engaging as part of the work.

(4)      Pending the results of the survey, explore delivering a workshop to engage Councillors on the development of the Framework, including stakeholders the Council should be engaging as part of this work.

(5)      Work with departments to make improvements to Brent’s online consultation platform and to the general approach to consultations –

·                Where residents are clearly informed of the timescales related to the initiatives/policies/strategies they are being consulted on and;

·                Where consultation feedback/results are made readily available to residents/partners in one central place.

(6)      Liaise with the Local Government Association (LGA) and other relevant external bodies to identify good practice to inform the upcoming Community Engagement Framework.

(7)       As far as possible, review Council documents (including the new Community Engagement Framework) for jargon and update accordingly.

Information Requests

(1)      Provide further detail on where ‘Your Brent’ magazine fits in to the Community Engagement Framework, and what specific reviews of the magazine will take place as part of the development of the new framework.

(2)      Provide detailed information on the emerging communities in Brent; to include, who are they, how are they currently being engaged with and what challenges there are in engaging these communities.