Issue - meetings

Report of the Cabinet Member Healthy Lifestyles

The Cabinet Member Healthy Lifestyles introduced the report, and thanked Members for their active engagement in the No Child Left Behind project. She drew their attention to section 3.1, which illustrated the number of children helped directly. She emphasised the value of a whole town approach, and the importance of a plan to continue the project in the years to come. She thanked the Strategy and Engagement Manager and officers in his team as well as Charles Welsh, Executive Headteacher, Gardeners Lane and Oakwood Federation for their hard work, especially in terms of gaining the support of private organisations.

The next steps for the project were to build on what had already been achieved. Language accessibility was a key aim, as was helping the victims of criminal exploitation. The project intended to take a trauma informed approach and empower individuals through strength-based relationships. It was hoped that the example set by No Child Left Behind would be adopted by other towns and communities. She drew Members’ attention to the Cheltenham Offer, on the final page of the report. This was intended to be self-sustaining, so the council was considering the submission of a potential lottery bid.

Summarising her speech, the Cabinet Member Healthy Lifestyles asked the Mayor to write to all those involved in the project and thank them for their work.

One Member thanked the Cabinet Member Healthy Lifestyles for her contribution and emphasised that they were wholeheartedly supportive in their role as a county councillor, as well as a local councillor. The project had been nationally recognised by the LGA, and they are working on securing additional funding at that moment.

One Member emphasised the importance of the issue to the town. Inequality was appalling, and was unlikely to improve over the next five years. 4000 children in Cheltenham were growing up in poverty. Exclusion from school must be seen as a last resort.

Members congratulated the Cabinet Member Healthy Lifestyles and the relevant officers for their good work. They endorsed the holistic approach taken by the project, and praised the good work done behind the scenes. The child poverty figures in Cheltenham were disgraceful, and it was paramount that things were done to improve the situation. Last year, there were 128 episodes of children as young as five running away from care, indicating that the care system is broken.

One Member cited the damning Ofsted report published in 2017, which referred to ‘serious and widespread failures’ in children’s services. It was undeniable that there were children suffering in Cheltenham, and was of the utmost importance that the council worked to alleviate this.

The Mayor thanked the Cabinet Member and officers concerned.

RESOLVED (unanimously) THAT