To receive a report on the operation of the PACT Meetings.

(Councillor RH Smith declared a personal interest)

The Committee received a report on the PACT Meetings.  The Senior Community Involvement Officer reported that this was the eighth round of meetings, and that the PACTs were evolving from the Community Forums which they had replaced.  Attendance at meetings by members of the public varied, but they were just one element in a programme of community involvement initiatives.  The communication issues that had been raised by Members at a seminar in May 2008 were being addressed, and greater emphasis would be put on parish newsletters in the future.  In the ensuing discussion, the following issues were raised:

·               That the name of the PACT meetings was a bar to attendance by members of the public. 

·               That the predominance of Police Officers at the meetings was an issue, as it meant that the Council involvement was reduced.

·               That the PACT meetings were unsatisfactory in their present format as they had arisen as an amalgamation of two streams of work: that of the Local Area Forum and of the Police/Community Consultative Group. 

·               The distance that had to be travelled to meetings in rural areas: the Golden Valley Pact was held in Peterchurch, which could involve a drive of up to thirty miles for some residents.  The PACTs needed to be held closer to areas from which they were inviting representation. 

·               That the Action Sheets arising from the meetings were not satisfactory, as there was a lag between meetings that meant that it was difficult to get information to those who were requesting it. 

·               That senior Council Officers had been invited to PACT meetings, together with local representatives such as Parish Council members and teachers, but that this had had varying degrees of success.

The PACT Organiser replied to the concerns, and said that alternative venues were being considered in the Golden Valley and other rural areas.  Limited resources did tend to reduce the amount of choice for venues for the meetings.  She went on to say that the Action Sheets were a continuing issue, and that ways of facilitating the process were being considered.  Most issues that were raised at the PACT meetings were for the Highways Section, and usually all that could be reported was that the expressed concern would be included as part of the programme of works.  She added that the Action Sheets would now be forwarded to Ward Members and Parish Councils.  It was noted that the PACT acronym was a legacy from the days when the Police ran the meetings, and it was a compromise that the Council had to make as part of its involvement in the process. 

RESOLVED: that

a)      a key Senior Officer was needed within the Council and its partner organisations to focus the work of the PACTs and ensure that they reported in a timely fashion.

b)     consideration should be given to restructuring the content of the meetings, with greater engagement from Town and Parish Councils.

and;

c)      that consideration should be given to the name of the meeting in order to make it more approachable