2                                         5 September 2019

HUTT CITY COUNCIL

 

Community Services Committee

 

Minutes of a meeting held in the Naenae Bowling Club, 25 Vogel Street, Naenae
Lower Hutt on

 Thursday 5 September 2019 commencing at 6.00pm

 

 

PRESENT:

Cr G Barratt (Chair)

 

 

Cr L Bridson

Cr J Briggs

 

Cr S Edwards

Cr M Lulich

 

Cr G McDonald

 

 

Cr L Sutton

 

 

APOLOGIES:                  An apology was received from Cr Milne and an apology for lateness was received from Mayor Wallace.

 

IN ATTENDANCE:        Mr M Reid, General Manager, City and Community Services

Ms M Laban, Divisional Manager, Community Projects and Relationships

Mr M Mercer, Divisional Manager, Community Hubs

Ms H Stewart, Youth Council Facilitator

Ms D Hunter, Community Advisor - Funding and Community Contracts
Mr L Evison, Youth Council Representative

Ms J Randall, Committee Advisor

PUBLIC BUSINESS

 

1.       APOLOGIES 

Resolved: (Cr Barratt/Cr McDonald)                                 Minute No. CSC 19401

“That the apology received from Cr Milne be accepted and leave of absence be granted and the apology for lateness received from Mayor Wallace be accepted.”

2.       PUBLIC COMMENT

Comments are recorded under the item to which they relate.

3.

Youth Issues (19/1106)

Ms C Lawrence, a representative of Youth Council, outlined some of the recent activities undertaken by Youth Council. These included attendance at Council committees and the instigation of a social media page to support mental health.  She noted poor mental health statistics were increasingly alarming and were more severe for the young and the economically deprived.

In response to a question from a member, Ms Lawrence agreed a community hub in Naenae was needed.

Ms A Reese, a representative of Youth Council, noted it was essential that young people had easy access to health services and safe spaces to go. She proposed Council assisted with access to health services through the community hubs. She suggested existing community services in community hubs could be expanded to include more services for youth such as Ignite Sport, Vibe and Youth Line where youth could access mental health services. She advised that the library where she worked hosted many young people who gathered there to ‘hang out.’ She added libraries and community hubs were safe gathering places where young people could connect with others.

Ms Reese read a report from Ms R Collins, a Youth Council representative. Ms Collins noted there was high demand for mental health services in the Hutt Valley and considered professional services needed to be more accessible. She congratulated Council for creating safe places where youth could gather at hubs, libraries and clubhouses. She noted these places could be made more welcoming by the use of art, bean bags and technology.  She said mental health issues were complex, however some simple solutions could help local youth.

In response to a question from a member, the Divisional Manager, Community Hubs advised youth workers and social services were already a part of some community hubs but agreed more services could be incorporated.  

The Chair thanked the Youth Council representatives for advocating on behalf of young people in Lower Hutt.

4.       CONFLICT OF INTEREST DECLARATIONS           

Cr  Bridson declared a conflict of interest in respect of Item 5 the Team Naenae Trust application and took no part in disussion or voting on the item.

5.

Mahia Atu Community Fund Recommended Allocations 2019/2020 (19/1101)

Report No. CSC2019/4/184 by the Community Advisor - Funding and Community Contracts

 

Cr Bridson took no part in discussion or voting on the matter relating to the Team Naenae Trust Application.

 

Speaking under public comment, Mr A Mitchell questioned why some organisations had received only half of the amount they had requested in their applications. He noted $40,000 in community funds was to be carried over to the next funding year. He advised that partial funding was a problem for organisations which were often forced to reduce services or hire paid staff to fundraise the shortfall in funds.

 

In response to questions from members, Mr Mitchell agreed that organisations could apply to other funding providers, but noted this took time and resources. He added they might not be successful. He expressed concern the Committee was approving funding applications without viewing them. He noted some organisations required larger amounts of funding and a more equitable spread of funding might be fairer.

The Community Advisor - Funding and Community Contracts elaborated on the report. She noted funding granted to applicants under Council’s community funding streams depended on how completely their applications qualified. She noted that some applications contained new initiatives  and these did not meet the criteria of this fund but might fit the criteria of a different fund. She advised the reason the $40,000 was to be carried over to the next funding year rather than being distributed was because not enough applications fitted the criteria. She said she had asked applicants about accessing other funding and what would happen if their applications were unsuccessful. She advised that all applications were further assessed by the Mahia Atu Community Fund Panel (the panel) who made the final funding recommendations.

The Divisional Manager, Community Hubs agreed that all applicants needed to demonstrate their alignment with the fund. He cautioned it would set an unfavourable precedent to allocate funding to initiatives that did not fully fit with Council’s Community Funding Strategy.

In response to questions from members, the Community Advisor - Funding and Community Contracts advised that Lower Hutt’s community houses were either applying for funds under the new strategy, were receiving other revenue through Council or did not require the funding.

Cr Briggs acknowledged the local volunteers whose work contributed to strong communities and provided opportunities for others. He recommended full funding for the current applicants where there was not a significant variance between the amount requested and the amount recommended by officers. He noted that while many organisations would be gracious in accepting the recommended amount, it could create pressure if they were not fully funded.

Cr Edwards did not consider it good process for the Committee to change the officer’s recommendations. He added the panel  that had made the recommendations was not in attendance at the meeting to inform the discussion.  He agreed that officers should make the final decision on any additional funding recommendations.

Cr Briggs acknowledged Cr Edwards’ concerns. He requested that Councillors had access to all funding applications in future so that they could check how applications aligned from a governance perspective.

Members agreed that the Community Advisor - Funding and Community Contracts be given discretion to investigate the applications contained in the report further and make a decision on whether or not to approve the recommended amounts.

The Chair suggested that Councillors liaised with officers before meetings where community funding was being considered to better understand the reasons behind the panel’s recommendations.

 

Resolved: (Cr Barratt/Cr Briggs)                                        Minute No. CSC 19402

“That the Committee:

(i)       notes the recommendations made by the Mahia Atu Community Fund Panel under the Mahia Atu Community Fund;

(ii)     agrees to the recommended allocations for the Mahia Atu Community Fund 2019/2020, attached as Appendix 1 to the report, subject to the following amendments:

a)         Moera Community House is fully funded to $46,000; and

b)         Birthright Hutt Valley Trust is fully funded to $30,425;

(iii)   requests the Mahia Atu Community Fund Panel to review the application from Takiri Mai Te Ata Whanau Ora Collective, and if satisfied, fully fund to $55,000; and

(iv)   agrees to carry over any unallocated funds to the financial year 2020/2021. “

6.

Accessibility and Inclusiveness Plan Subcommittee Update (19/1092)

Report No. CSC2019/4/185 by the Divisional Manager, Strategy and Planning

 

The Chair requested two amendments to the Accessibility and Inclusiveness Subcommittee minutes of 14 August 2019, attached as Appendix 1 to the report.  She requested the following sentences be removed:

From Item 5: ‘The Chair further clarified that any option would be funded through a rates increase’; and

From Item 10: ‘The Chair responded that in the new triennium funding would be allocated specifically for developments such as a disability swing.’

 

Resolved: (Cr Barratt/Cr Sutton)                                       Minute No. CSC 19403

“That the Committee notes the contents of the report.”

For the reasons outlined in the report below

7.

General Manager's Report (19/1006)

Report No. CSC2019/4/186 by the General Manager, City and Community Services

 

The General Manager, City and Community Services elaborated on the report. He apologised on behalf of his team for a sentence in the report that mentioned a positive spin-off from the Naenae Pool closure. He recognised there were no positive spin-offs from the Naenae Pool closure and asked that this sentence be removed from the report. He congratulated the Youth Council Facilitator for the leadership she had nurtured in Youth Council. He noted the young people from Youth Council had been highly effective and proactive in their role over the term of the triennium.

In response to questions from members, the  General Manager, City and Community Services advised that a good number of Naenae residents were accessing alternative services to the Naenae Pool, however he was aware many were missing out. He agreed to report back to members on the number of people who were not accessing alternative facilities. He further agreed to provide ‘Learn to Swim’ numbers in Lower Hutt so as to compare numbers before and after the Naenae Pool closure. He agreed to also provide total visitor numbers to Lower Hutt pools over the past year.

Cr Bridson highlighted the positive impact of Youth Council on Council’s decision making. She noted Youth Council members had provided information that allowed Council to make better decsions at meetings.

The Chair thanked the Youth Council Facilitator for her work and for providing a safe place for young people to grow.

 

Resolved: (Cr Barratt/Cr McDonald)                                 Minute No. CSC 19404

“That the Committee notes the updates contained in the report.”

      

8.       QUESTIONS   

There were no questions.

 

The Chair thanked members for their participation over the term of the triennium.

 

There being no further business the Chair declared the meeting closed at 6.50 pm.

 

 

 

 

Cr G Barratt

CHAIR

 

 

CONFIRMED as a true and correct record

Dated this 17th day of September 2019