(i) By Councillor Ms Brown to Councillor Brunel-Walker, Executive Member for Economic Development and Regeneration
Now that Fenwick have finally signed to be the second anchor store in Bracknell Town’s regeneration, can the Council give the residents their much requested definitive time scale of month and year for the following:-
1. Start of building M&S, Fenwick and other shops
2. Completion of this build and opening of the shops
3. Start of rebuild of Charles’ Square
4. Completion of this rebuild and opening of the shops
5. Demolition of the 3M building
6. Completion of the rebuild of its replacement flats and shops
7. Completion of the bus station renovation
8. Demolition of Coopers Hill
9. Rebuild of the Youth Hub and flats
10. Opening of this central Youth facility promised 2 years ago?
(ii) By Councillor Mrs Temperton to Councillor Dr Barnard, Executive Member for Children, Young People & Learning
Evidence shows that there will again be pressures on the budget from the need to support an increased number of children taken into care.
‘Homestart’ is a local organisation that trains volunteers to work with vulnerable families in their homes; providing support, building confidence and resilience; helping to prevent family crises and breakdown. At this time last year, it was proposed that the budget to ‘Homestart’ be cut by £20,000, a 1/3rd of their budget. In the actual budget this cut was ‘reprieved for just one year to allow a review of funding’. I trust the Council will again recognise that supporting ‘Homestart’s’ early intervention is an investment to save a lot of money.
Can we be assured there will be no cut in ‘Homestart’s’ funding in the 2015/2016 budget?
(iii) By Councillor Mrs Temperton to Councillor Dr Barnard, Executive Member for Children, Young People & Learning
Piloting the web-based “Mindfull” programme in two secondary schools was a welcome recognition of the urgent need for counselling, to support young people’s mental well-being.
In light of the collapse of this programme and before another such is commissioned, what extra support is being offered to our young people in the interim?
Minutes:
(i) Councillor Ms Brown asked Councillor Brunel-Walker, Executive Member for Economic Development and Regeneration the following published question:
Now that Fenwick have finally signed to be the second anchor store in Bracknell Town’s regeneration, can the Council give the residents their much requested definitive time scale of month and year for the following:-
1. Start of building M&S, Fenwick and other shops
2. Completion of this build and opening of the shops
3. Start of rebuild of Charles’ Square
4. Completion of this rebuild and opening of the shops
5. Demolition of the 3M building
6. Completion of the rebuild of its replacement flats and shops
7. Completion of the bus station renovation
8. Demolition of Coopers Hill
9. Rebuild of the Youth Hub and flats
10. Opening of this central Youth facility promised 2 years ago?
In response to part 1-7 of the question, Councillor Brunel-Walker stated that as a multi-million pound project, the regeneration remained hugely complicated and everybody working on the scheme was eager to make progress as quickly as possible. The Council continued to play a pivotal role in enabling the regeneration to happen although, ultimately, very substantial financial investment (£200m for the next phase) would be made by development partners, the Bracknell Regeneration Partnership. The decision on timing would ultimately be theirs and it simply was not possible to give a “definitive” timetable.
Councillor Brunel-Walker stated that having said that, the very significant landmark of securing Fenwick of Bond Street as an anchor for the scheme meant that June/July 2015 should see the start of construction work for the Northern Retail Quarter West, which would include the new Fenwick, Marks and Spencer and other shops and restaurants, together with the new Cineworld multiscreen cinema. The redevelopment of Charles Square would start a little later but be coordinated as part of the same construction programme, which should all be completed in September 2017, ready for opening at Christmas 2017.
In response to a supplementary question from Councillor Ms Brown, Councillor Brunel-Walker confirmed that the refurbishment of the bus station would take place in early spring next year.
In response to part 8-10 of the question, Councillor Dr Barnard stated that the Coopers Hill Scheme would come forward over the next few months. The Council was working with a local housing provider to secure new youth accommodation which it was planned would include a theatre, dance studio, technology suites, cafe and a number of flexible spaces. This was still at the proposal stage so it was too early to give any definite dates. Outline plans for the construction of this town centre facility for young people and 123 affordable housing one and two bedroomed flats had been produced. A report was due to be presented to the Executive in January 2015.
In response to a supplementary question from Councillor Ms Brown regarding the finalisation of the plans for the youth facility, Councillor Dr Barnard stated that it was not possible to give a definitive timescale, it was crucial that a high quality facility that was sustainable was delivered.
(ii) By Councillor Mrs Temperton to Councillor Dr Barnard, Executive Member for Children, Young People & Learning
Evidence shows that there will again be pressures on the budget from the need to support an increased number of children taken into care.
‘Homestart’ is a local organisation that trains volunteers to work with vulnerable families in their homes; providing support, building confidence and resilience; helping to prevent family crises and breakdown. At this time last year, it was proposed that the budget to ‘Homestart’ be cut by £20,000, a 1/3rd of their budget. In the actual budget this cut was ‘reprieved for just one year to allow a review of funding’. I trust the Council will again recognise that supporting ‘Homestart’s’ early intervention is an investment to save a lot of money.
Can we be assured there will be no cut in ‘Homestart’s’ funding in the 2015/2016 budget?
In response Councillor Dr Barnard confirmed that there were no plans to cut the Homestart grant for 2015/16, the Council would continue to support these excellent services as well as considering how support could be increased.
In response to a supplementary question from Councillor Mrs Temperton, Councillor Dr Barnard stated that Homestart would be informed of their grant arrangements for 2015/16 as part of the usual budget setting process.
(iii) By Councillor Mrs Temperton to Councillor Dr Barnard, Executive Member for Children, Young People & Learning
Piloting the web-based “Mindfull” programme in two secondary schools was a welcome recognition of the urgent need for counselling, to support young people’s mental well-being.
In light of the collapse of this programme and before another such is commissioned, what extra support is being offered to our young people in the interim?
In response Councillor Dr Barnard stated that MindFull was part of the Beat Bullying Group which had gone into administration without advanced warning to the Council. Crucially local young people had not started to use the service and existing support to young people, outside of services provided by Beat Bullying Group, continued as before.
Over the past two months, Public Health had met with various providers and was inviting proposals to run a six month pilot in the two schools already identified. A new service specification and contract would then be put in place.
In November, the Chief Officer for Learning & Achievement launched a programme of emotional and mental health and well being awareness raising in schools and was launching a refreshed Healthy Schools programme, which had a particular emphasis on emotional and mental health and wellbeing. The Council was fully engaged in the wider work around Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service together with NHS partners. This included the implementation of new care pathways for children and young people experiencing mental health problems.
In response to a supplementary question from Councillor Mrs Temperton, Councillor Dr Barnard stated that feedback from young people was needed before the six month trial could begin in the two schools identified.