Agenda item

20 minutes

The Board to consider the Quarter 2 Exception Reports:

Priority 1 – attached

Priority 2 – attached, please also see: Business and Skills Annual Report 2025 

Priority 3 – attached

Priority 4.1 – attached

Priority 4.2, 4.3 – attached, please also note Housing Plan adopted April 2025 and new affordable warmth grant about to launch with details on B&NES own energy advice website www.energyathome.org.uk

Priority 4.4 – attached

Priority 4.5 – attached

Paul Scott, Consultant & Associate Director of Public Health/Priority Theme Sponsors

Paul Scott, Consultant & Associate Director of Public Health, B&NES, introduced the Q2 exception reports and thanked reporting leads and sponsors for producing the reports.  He drew attention to the following:

1.  The action plan was being refreshed and the deadline for amendments was 8 September.  The refreshed action plan would come back to the HWB in November.

2.  Most actions were now green; some had changed from amber to green and a few remained amber.

3.  Priority 1 - good progress in relation to the work on Families First.  There were still challenges around the safety valve.

4.  Priority 2 – there had been good progress in meeting the actions.  The Business and Skills Annual Report 2025 highlighted some positive actions in this area.

5.  Priority 3 – the actions were mostly green, but amber in relation to the future of the Community Hub and there was a request for the Board to continue to support the hub.

6.  Priority 4 – 4.1 was amber around the Local Plan in terms of getting people engaged and making it work in terms of health and wellbeing infrastructure.  There had been good progress on 4.2 and 4.3 and it was noted that the Housing Plan had been adopted in April 2025.  There was also a new affordable warmth grant about to launch with details on B&NES own energy advice website www.energyathome.org.uk

The Board raised the following comments/questions:

1.  Welcome the exception reports as evidence that the Board was delivering its Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy. 

2.  For future reports it would be useful to have a breakdown at the top of the report on the number of red, amber and green actions. 

3.  In relation to Priority 1:

a.  It was hoped that the £11m safety valve funding would soon be released to the Council.

b.  There would be a focus on the Families First programme at the Development Session in February in advance of plans being in place by 1 April.  This was a multi-agency, integrated front-door approach to support children and their families.

c.  Be Well B&NES was helping reduce the attainment gap for young people in B&NES.

4.  In relation to Priority 3:

a.  The risk to the future funding around the Community Hub was that it was funded through the Better Care Fund and there was a level of uncertainty about the future of BCF. 

b.  There had been a positive peer review on the Community Hub which recognised the strengths of joining up referrals and information sharing.  It was noted that the hub now served children as well as adults.

5.  In relation to Priority 4.1 - Local Plan: if B&NES had to deal with an additional 29k homes in the next 20 years, there would be major implications in terms of health care and it was essential to keep promoting the need for associated infrastructure.  It was noted that there would be a special Cabinet meeting on 25 September to agree the Local Plan options document and Board members were urged to encourage people to engage with the consultation.

Rebecca Reynolds, Director of Public Health, advised the Board that Sarah Heathcote, Health Inequalities Manager, had been ensuring that the Implementation Plan and related exception reporting had a strong focus on addressing inequalities, and that her role may not continue beyond March 2026. By March 2026 the Implementation Plan would have been refreshed and a reporting system would be embedded.  She confirmed the reporting system would be “lighter touch” with reporting leads continuing to update on actions, and the role of sponsor would become increasingly important in terms of overseeing Development Sessions and reporting back to HWB.