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SUBJECT: Well-being Plan development - Response Analysis update

 

Report written and submitted by: GSWAG sub-group

 

Author: Heather Delonnette – Policy Officer, Caerphilly CBC

 

1

Areas Affected

 

 

1.1

Gwent – all local areas

 

 

2

Purpose of Report

 

 

2.1

To update the Gwent PSB on the response analysis work undertaken in support of the development of a Gwent Well-being Plan.

2.2

For the PSB to agree that the areas covered in the attached response analysis reports are the right areas of focus for the outline Well-being Objectives and should be taken forward in the development of cross-cutting steps for delivery in the Gwent Well-being Plan. 

 

 

3

Background

 

 

3.1

The PSB is required to undertake a Well-being Assessment to inform the development of a Well-being Plan, setting out its Well-being Objectives and the steps it intends to take to meet those objectives. The timeline for developing the Gwent Well-being Assessment has been appended to this report. (Appendix 1) 

3.2

The Well-being Assessment was agreed by the PSB in December 2021 and published in April 2022.

3.3

The Assessment considered around 120, often interconnecting, issues affecting well-being in Gwent. It also highlighted that inequalities and deprivation exist across the region, and how this is having a disproportionately detrimental impact on some of our communities. Since the completion of the Assessment, the war in Ukraine and the subsequent cost of living crisis has exacerbated this further in our most disadvantaged neighbourhoods in particular.

3.4

At the development day in February 2022 the PSB proposed four cross-cutting themes to be considered in more detail as part of the response analysis phase of developing the Plan. These were:

·       Environment/Climate/Nature Emergency

·       Determinants of Health Inequality

·       Community Cohesion

·       Economy & Infrastructure

3.5

In March, the PSB further refined these themes as follows and identified lead officers for each:

·       Community Cohesion (including Community Safety and Substance Misuse) – Pam Kelly (Gwent Police)/Jeff Cuthbert (OPCC)/Steve Tiley (GAVO)

·       Environment (Climate and Nature emergencies) – Steve Morgan (NRW)

·       Health and Well-being/Inequalities – Sarah Aitken (PHW)/Howard Toplis, particularly re: housing (Tai Calon)

3.6

In the period since these themes were agreed, the cost of living crisis has emerged as a serious issue for our communities, and therefore the PSB may want to reflect this in its choice of outline Well-being Objectives.

3.7

The Well-being Plan is required to be a plan for the long-term. However, it, and the Well-being Objectives and the steps to meet those, will need to be flexible enough to incorporate changes in circumstances as they arise throughout the lifetime of the Plan – example scenarios would be the Covid-19 pandemic and the impacts of the war in Ukraine.

The WFGA requires public bodies to balance short-term needs with the well-being needs of future generations, especially where responding to short-term challenges may have a detrimental long- term effect.

3.8

The statutory guidance for the development of a local Well-being Plan[i] states that there are two main elements of a local Well-being Plan:

a)     The local objectives; and

b)    The steps the Board proposes to take to meet the objectives

3.9

The statutory guidance states that ‘In line with the sustainable development principle the local objectives should seek to adopt an integrated approach to delivering against the Well-being Goals…One objective could deliver against multiple goals’.

3.10

The statutory guidance also states that ‘The Board must take all reasonable steps to meet the local objectives they have set, to deliver on collectively.’

 

 

4

Development of the outline Well-being Objectives

 

 

4.1

The response analyses work provides a detailed summary of the issues, drivers and possible interventions around each of the three cross-cutting themes (Appendix 2). This work has informed proposals for a number of potential outline Well-being Objectives that the PSB could decide to adopt for the Well-being Plan.

4.2

Environment theme outline objectives:

Protect and enhance Gwent’s natural environment to maximise the well-being benefits that nature provides to current and future generations by:

1. Reducing the environmental impact of production and consumption so that progress is made towards establishing and sustaining a regenerative local economy which contributes to national and global sustainability

2. Declaring a nature emergency in Gwent and using this to drive the enhancement of Gwent’s natural areas and address the root causes of biodiversity loss

3. In response to the climate emergency, focusing on the protection of communities from environmental risks associated with climate change

4.3

Community cohesion outline objective:

Provide the energy and leadership between the public, private and third sectors, with the people of Gwent, to develop healthy, safe and vibrant places to live, work and visit.

4.4

Health inequalities outline objectives:

1. Embed the Marmot principles in order to tackle health inequalities in the region.

2. To embed addressing the thermal efficiency of the homes in Gwent as a key determinant in reducing health inequalities in Gwent.

(The Marmot principles can be found at the end of this report.)

4.5

It is clear that all these proposed outline objectives impact on, and are impacted by, each other, just as the national Well-being Goals are interconnected. Therefore, the PSB may want to consider refining the proposed outline objectives to make them more holistic, outcome focused, cross-cutting and integrated.

4.6

The statutory guidance makes it clear that when choosing objectives:

·       These should reflect where the Board has decided that collective action can be taken that will have a positive impact on the state of well-being in the area.

·       The intention … is not that:

• Public bodies or PSBs set Well-being Objectives that are the easiest for them to meet;

• Public bodies or PSBs “retrofit” their existing Well-being Objectives to meet the requirements of the Act.

·       The selected Well-being Objectives must also maximise the PSBs contribution to the national Well-being Goals.

4.7

When considering which Well-being Objectives to choose, the PSB should also consider:

·       Where it can add most value and make the most difference.

·       Delivery of the Well-being Objectives should be within the sphere of PSB members and should do more than support existing projects or initiatives.

·       The resources partners are able to contribute to deliver the anticipated outcomes.

4.8

Work on the agreed outline Well-being Objectives (what difference do we want to make) and reasonable steps to meet them (how will we do that), will continue over the summer, using the advice from the Future Generations Commissioner and with the engagement of partners and stakeholders. This work will inform the drafting of the consultation version of the Well-being Plan for consideration at the PSB meeting at the end of September 2022.

 

 

5

Funding

 

 

5.1

2022/23

Welsh Government has confirmed funding to support the development of the local Well-being Plan of £92,529. This will used to provide additional staff capacity in Caerphilly CBC and a post in Torfaen CBC, to assist with ongoing engagement, evaluation and monitoring.

 

 

6

Recommendations to the PSB

 

 

6.1

The PSB agrees that the areas covered in the attached response analysis reports are the right areas of focus for the outline Well-being Objectives and should be taken forward in the development of cross-cutting steps for delivery in the Gwent Well-being Plan.

6.2

That the outline Well-being Objectives should be cross-cutting in nature, rather than being restricted or siloed to the areas identified for the response analysis phase of work.  The outline Well-being Objectives should also focus on activity where the PSB can add most value and make the most difference to well-being, having considered activity that is already happening and its impact, and adding value rather than duplicating effort.

6.3

That the suggested outline objectives contained within the response analysis reports are revisited in light of 6.1 and 6.2 above and a set of cross-cutting Well-being Objectives are developed.  Some of the current outline objectives are possible steps or statements of intent rather than objectives, and these need to revisited so they are more focused on outcomes.

 

Draft date 24/06/2022

 

 

APPENDICES

1 – Timeline

2 – Response analyses

a)    Community cohesion

b)    Environment

c)     Health inequalities

 

Marmot principles:

Give every child the best start in life

Enable all children, young people and adults to maximise their capabilities and have control of their lives

Create fair employment and good work for all

Ensure a healthy standard of living for all

Create and develop healthy and sustainable places and communities

Strengthen the role and impact of ill health prevention

Respond to climate change

Address structural racism

 

 

 



[i] Shared Purpose: Shared Future – Statutory Guidance on the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, SPSF 3: Collective role (Public Service Boards), Welsh Government