Agenda and minutes

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting.

Apologies were received from Mr Daniel Ballard.

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.

None.

Resolved: That the minutes of the meeting held on 20 April 2022 be confirmed as an accurate record.

The Chair welcomed to the meeting County Councillor Michael Green, Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing, Sakthi Karunanithi, Director of Public Health, Ruksana Sardar-Akram, Public Health Consultant and Alison Moore, Public Health Specialist.

County Councillors Ash Sutcliffe and Sue Hind provided the committee with a presentation on the healthy eating rapporteur report, a copy of which is included in the minutes. It was highlighted that there were a number of initiatives to promote healthy eating amongst children, both nationally and in Lancashire, though concern was raised about delays to the Government's plan to restrict the advertisement of unhealthy food and drink.

The rapporteurs' key findings had led to the following recommendations:

Short term:

1.  Review and enhance the current communications strategy around all the different projects to promote healthy eating being undertaken across the county, including leaflets/posters on what is available in each area for schools/libraries/GP surgeries etc.

2.  The Communications Service to 'launch' the recently signed Healthy Weight Declaration.

3.  Further details to all councillors on healthy eating projects in their areas.

4.  Councillor kept up to date with new initiatives in their areas to help support the work of the service, utilising the C-First latest news service.

Medium term:

1.  Consideration be given to reviewing food advertising policy.

2.  Consideration be given to funding support for specific work with teenagers/whole families on healthy eating.

3.  Support by given to the implementation of the HENRY project in Lancashire.

Long term:

1.  Building links with partner organisations and district councils following a review of food advertising policy.

Members thanked County Councillors Ash Sutcliffe and Sue Hind for their work and, during a period of discussion, comments and queries were raised as follows:

·  Members expressed concern that the current cost-of-living crisis was having a significant impact on families' eating habits and were informed that the Public Health team was working closely with other services to minimise its impact. Although national issues were beyond the council's control, it was important to work with families and partners to convey key messages about healthy eating, preparing food better, and the importance of staying active. Healthy options were not always more expensive.

·  The committee was informed that, through the school meals programme, the council had reduced school-aged children's salt and sugar intake by 50% over the past 7 years. Members also highlighted the quality of the school meals service provided in Lancashire, which school children had helped to shape.

·  Members queried whether children were taught to cook cheap and healthy meals in school and noted the importance of families cooking meals together from scratch. It was also recognised that the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on families' ability to pay energy bills in turn affected their ability to cook at home. Sakthi Karunanithi advised that the Public Health team was willing to listen to members' suggestions to help ensure that the health of Lancashire's most vulnerable residents was not diminished during such difficult times.

·  It was noted that many projects and initiatives to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

The Chair welcomed to the meeting Delyth Mathieson, Head of Education Improvement and Michele Lawty-Jones, Director of Business Growth at the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership (LEP).

The committee considered a report which provided an update on the number of 16- and 17-year-olds in education, employment, or training (EET) after completing their compulsory school education and the steps being taken to improve this.

The committee's attention was drawn in particular to Appendix 'A' to the report, which highlighted the council's statutory duties relating to 16- and 17-year-olds. Regarding Table 3 included in the appendix, members were advised that the 10 young people for whom Lancashire County Council was their corporate parent, who fell under 'not known' at the time report, were all now looking at EET or already in EET.

It was noted that the county council only had three members of staff working in this area, monitoring circa 28,000 16- and 17-year-olds, so the service worked closely with Blackpool Council, Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, and other partners.

Michele Lawty-Jones, Director of Business Growth for the LEP, emphasised that the Lancashire Skills and Employment Hub was keen to raise young people's aspirations and worked closely with local authorities, the LEP and the LEP's Skills and Employment Advisory Panel to do so.

In response to questions from members, it was highlighted that:

·  Regarding the recent successful bid for funding from the Careers and Enterprise Company's transition fund, a piece of work was being undertaken to establish where the funding should be allocated.

·  Young people were involved in both practical and classroom-based work experience, depending on the nature of the businesses they were interested in.

·  Identifying 16- and 17-year-olds who left college early was a challenge and reducing the number of 'not knowns' was an area for improvement, but the council worked with colleges to monitor and support those individuals.

·  Approximately 50% of people would go to university. The Skills and Employment Hub was keen to promote a balanced view of career options, including the technical education route. It was important to give young people as much information as possible and encourage them not to make judgements about the prestige of different sectors or jobs.

·  The council's Education Strategy contained a number of priorities, including seeking to reduce the number of exclusions so that more young people could benefit from being in school. All schools in Lancashire worked proactively to fulfil their obligations and to improve the outcomes of all children.

·  Former youth training schemes had evolved into the apprenticeship programme, which allowed young people to enter practical careers whilst achieving a qualification. Councillors were asked to be advocates for apprenticeships in their communities.

·  The National Cyber Force was a ten-year project and expected to produce up to 3,000 jobs by 2030. A Skills Workstream Group had been established with partners, including education providers, to look at developing local skills. This would include raising awareness of future job opportunities amongst young people, as well as retraining adults in digital and cyber roles.

Additional  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

The committee considered the Education and Children's Services Scrutiny Committee Work Programme for 2021/22.

It was noted that a programme of work for 2022/23 would be established following the Annual General Meeting of the Full Council on 26 May 2022.

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.

None.

The next meeting of the Education and Children's Services Scrutiny Committee will be held on Tuesday 14 June 2022 at 10.30am in Committee Room C – The Duke of Lancaster Room, County Hall, Preston.

It was noted that the next meeting of the Education and Children's Services Scrutiny Committee was due to be held in June 2022 on a date to be agreed.