Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Mr John Withington.

Members are asked to consider any pecuniary and non-pecuniary interests they may have to disclose to the meeting in relation to matters under consideration on the agenda.

No interests were declared.

Resolved: That the minutes of the meeting held on 16 March 2022 be confirmed as an accurate record.

The Chair welcomed to the meeting County Councillor Charlie Edwards, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, Phil Durnell, Director of Highways and Transport, Michael White, Highways Regulation Manager, and Jackie Brindle, Road Safety Manager from Lancashire County Council, Andy Pratt MBE, Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner, and Mark Hutton and Kirsty McCreesh from Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service.

At the Education and Children's Services Scrutiny Committee meeting held on
18 January 2022, a recommendation from this meeting suggested:

"The following county councillors be appointed as rapporteurs - County Councillors Berry, Woollam, and Swarbrick to further explore information behind the data on children seriously injured or killed on Lancashire roads to report back at the March meeting of the committee."

County Councillors Berry, Woollam, and Swarbrick provided a brief overview of the report provided at Appendix A.

County Councillor Edwards spoke to the committee explaining that the county council and members, as community leaders needed to do everything they can to engage, empower, and educate residents on road safety. He went on the inform that the county council's corporate priorities had changed to reflect the importance of climate change, population health, and active travel and that making the roads safer to promote active travel was a core priority.

County Councillor Edwards advised that there had been a review of the
Lancashire Road Safety Partnership (LRSP) in terms of purpose, and what each organisation brings to the partnership. There had also been a review of best practice from other local authorities, such as a peer review with West Yorkshire Road Safety Partnership which could be shared with the committee. He was aware that funding was a major part in being able to fulfil all the LRSP objectives and provided the committee with an example of ideas that had been suggested to look at different ways to obtain funding.

The committee was informed that the government had recently provided local authorities with the ability to bid to be able to enforce restrictions which they had not been able to do previously to assist the local constabulary. Parking enforcement officers were previously contracted to a different company, however, this had been brought in-house, which provided the county council with more flexibility to be able to be responsive where they saw an increase in demand. County Councillor Edwards asked the committee to promote reporting instances of problem parking or poor road safety, as the county council required an evidence-led approach to where they deploy resources.

Andy Pratt MBE advised that as Chair of the LRSP, the vision was to reach 0 people being killed on Lancashire roads. There had been a conference held at County Hall for parish and town councils, there was interest expressed to aid in delivering road safety in these rural areas, from this it was agreed that the vice-chair of parish and town councils would attend LRSP meetings. There had also been a seat on the partnership given to the Driver Vehicle Standards Agency to allow for more collaborative working. He  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

The Chair provided a verbal update to the committee regarding the Healthy Teeth rapporteur report. Following meetings with Lancashire County Council officers, having worked with schools on projects, and receiving data, there would be a further update at the committees next meeting. 

County Councillors Hind and Sutcliffe provided the committee with a verbal report update on the Healthy Eating rapporteur report. 

County Councillor Sutcliffe told the committee that they had been looking at where the food comes from for example supermarkets and markets, and access to food including food banks. They had also been researching the education of healthy eating both at home and in school, what a healthy meal looked like such as balancing protein and carbohydrate portions including food allergies, and understanding food as part of a daily routine and engaging people in mealtimes, the nutritional and social value of food. They had found that location played a large role in whether someone ate healthily or not, with an imbalance across the county. As was the exposure to advertisements and how this informed what people were likely to eat.

County Councillor Hind reported that 70% of Lancashire residents were overweight, which was 5% more than the rest of the country. Obesity levels in children had increased during the pandemic which created a public health issue, caused by higher calorie intake due to change in lifestyles and habits because mealtimes were less defined.

Lancashire County Council was signed up to The Healthy Weight Declaration, and the 16 principles of the declaration would be applied over the next two years which states that ‘it encapsulates a vision to promote healthy weight and improve the health and well-being of the local population. We recognise that we need to exercise our responsibility in developing and implementing policies which promote healthy weight.'

County Councillor Hind also advised the committee about healthy eating programmes in Lancashire such as HAF (Holiday Activities and Food) where the Department for Education had awarded £4.3 million and this was divided between the districts, PASTA (Play and Skills at Teatime Activities) was delivered during term time for children in higher areas of deprivation, and GULP (Give Up Loving Pop) was delivered by football clubs as part of the oral health programme where early tooth decay was prevalent in Burnley, Pendle, Accrington, and Preston.

It was highlighted that the current cost of living crisis may widen inequality even more as nursery or school may be the only place where a child eats a healthy meal in a day.

It was noted that:

·  The report would focus on healthy eating rather than obesity.

·  Tea and Talk not Tea and Technology was also being explored with support from the Chair, healthy option meals that could be eaten at the table.

·  There were community groups who were actively working with families and where funding was an issue post-pandemic. If the county council wanted support these groups, then financial support would need to be explored.

The Chair thanked County Councillors Hind and Sutcliffe and asked them to present their final report at the committees next meeting.

The committee received a report which provided information on the work programme for the Education and Children's Services Scrutiny Committee.

Resolved: That the Education and Children's Services Scrutiny Committee Work Programme 2021/22 be noted.

An item of urgent business may only be considered under this heading where, by reason of special circumstances to be recorded in the minutes, the chair of the meeting is of the opinion that the item should be considered at the meeting as a matter of urgency.  Wherever possible, the chief executive should be given advance warning of any member’s intention to raise a matter under this heading.

There were no items of urgent business.

The next meeting of the Education and Children's Services Scrutiny Committee will be held on Tuesday 17 May 2022 at 10.30am in Committee Room C – The Duke of Lancaster Room, County Hall, Preston.

It was noted the next meeting of the Education and Children's Services Scrutiny Committee would take place on Tuesday 17 May 2022 at 10:30am in County Hall, Preston.