Agenda and draft minutes

To receive and note apologies for absence.

The committee received apologies from Councillors Crawshaw and Nelson, who were substituted respectively by Councillors Melly and Baxter.

At this point in the meeting, Members are asked to declare any disclosable pecuniary interest or other registerable interest they might have in respect of business on this agenda, if they have not already done so in advance on the Register of Interests. The disclosure must include the nature of the interest.

An interest must also be disclosed in the meeting when it

becomes apparent to the member during the meeting.

[Please see attached sheet for further guidance for Members]

Councillor Waller declared an interest in relation to item 5 on the agenda, Free School Meal Pilot Year Review, in that he was a Governor at Westfield Primary School.

To approve and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 1 October 2024.

Resolved: That the minutes of the meeting held on 1 October 2024 be approved and signed as a correct record.

At this point in the meeting members of the public who have registered to speak can do so. Members of the public may speak on agenda items or on matters within the remit of the committee.

Please note that our registration deadlines are set as 2 working days before the meeting, in order to facilitate the management of public participation at our meetings. The deadline for registering at this meeting is 5:00pm on Friday, 1 November 2024.

To register to speak please visit www.york.gov.uk/AttendCouncilMeetings to fill in an online registration form. If you have any questions about the registration form or the meeting, please contact Democratic Services. Contact details can be found at the foot of this agenda.

Webcasting of Public Meetings

Please note that, subject to available resources, this meeting will be webcast including any registered public speakers who have given their permission. The meeting can be viewed live and on demand at www.york.gov.uk/webcasts.

During coronavirus, we made some changes to how we ran council meetings, including facilitating remote participation by public speakers. See our updates (www.york.gov.uk/COVIDDemocracy) for more information on meetings and decisions.

It was reported that there had been no registrations to speak at the meeting under the Council’s Public Participation Scheme.

This report updates members on the implementation of the York Hungry Minds project.

The Executive Member for Children, Young People and Education, and the Assistant Director, Education and Skills, presented their report and introduced to the meeting the representatives from the universities of Leeds and York.

The Assistant Director, Education and Skills noted that the Hungry Minds Pilot Scheme started in January 2024 and that Westfield Primary School was the largest primary school in York, and Burton Green Primary School was one of the smallest, which demonstrated the capability of the scheme to work within different settings. Westfield Primary School was chosen to start the pilot scheme due to its recent kitchen upgrades and already high uptake of free school meals.

The representatives from the University of Leeds presented their presentation as seen in the agenda supplement ‘Presentation Slides for York Free School Meals Pilot Year Review, University of Leeds’, and it was reported that:

·         Studies had concluded that hunger had an impact on children’s attainment and wellbeing.

·         Through tracking attendance, the pilot scheme saw a steady increase in attendance through two terms, and lateness had decreased.

·         Uptake of free school meals (FSM) had increased from 40-60% following the scheme.

·         A decrease in the experience of bad behaviour had been seen.

The representatives from the University of York presented their presentation as seen in the agenda supplement ‘Presentation Slides for York Free School Meals Pilot Year Review, University of York’, and it was reported that:

·         The scheme had experienced challenges with its communication in regard to its expectations of what the scheme could achieve, as well as from increased politicisation of the scheme through the local press.

·         The universality of the scheme had reduced the stigma seen relating to FSM, but a bigger cohort size through expansion of the scheme could see stigma reduced further.

In response to questions from members, the Executive Member for Children, Young People and Education, Assistant Director, Education and Skills, and representatives from the universities of Leeds and York confirmed that:

·         In the summer it was usually seen that attendance would drop, however this was not seen throughout the schools involved in the pilot.

·         The pilot would undoubtedly have a positive financial impact on families who would not have been eligible for FSM prior to the scheme.

·         Psychological tools could be used to support children in choosing healthier food options without reducing the amount of exciting food offered, reducing FSM uptake, or increasing food waste.

·         Through ongoing reviews of the scheme, data will be gathered to understand seasonal changes in attendance and FSM uptake.

·         The introduction of this scheme in early 2024 could be beneficial to the introduction of a Government national school breakfast scheme as City of York Council (CYC) would already have knowledge and experience on the rollout of universal FSM.

·         A School Survey from Leeds showed that childcare provision was a big contributor to families taking-up FSM.

·         Expansion of the scheme would be considered on the basis of sustainability, which schools were in best position to take the scheme on, and how the scheme could  ...  view the full minutes text for item 27.

This report informs members on work taking place to develop a neighbourhood working or ‘Integrated Neighbourhood Team’ Model, as a way of delivering improved outcomes for individuals, for communities, and for the wider system of services in the city.

The Director of Housing and Communities, and Assistant Director, Customer, Communities and Inclusion presented the report, and highlighted that the neighbourhood model was designed to increase collaboration between partners and bring services closer to communities.

Members discussed the report and provided the following feedback to Officers:

·         More clarity was needed to demonstrate the support residents could receive in their local area.

·         Having a central grouping within the four areas of the model was not practical, as many areas grouped together did not share similar characteristics, and many residents from the other areas would need to travel through the central area to receive other services.

The Chair moved that the committee supported the devolution of services within the Neighbourhood Model and welcomed further scrutiny on detailed proposals, this was seconded by Councillor Baxter, and it was;

Resolved:

·         That further data which would be included within the report to be received by Executive on 12 December 2024 also be shared with members.

·         That the committee supported the devolution of services within the Neighbourhood Model and welcomed further scrutiny on detailed proposals.

Members are asked to consider the Committee’s work plan for the 2024/25 municipal year.

Members discussed the committee’s workplan and it was;

Resolved: That the York Explore Annual Update originally scheduled to be received by members during this meeting, be deferred to the meeting scheduled for 3 December 2024.

Reason: To keep the committee’s work plan for the 2024/25 municipal year updated.