Agenda item

The Policy and Partnerships Manager stated that the Gwent Public Services Board (PSB) was created in 2021 as this was thought to be more impactful than there only being the sperate PSBs that had been in place prior to this. The Policy and Partnerships Manager noted that part of the Gwent PSB’s functions was to have a Wellbeing Assessment Plan

The Policy and Partnerships Manager noted that the Wellbeing Assessment had been published in 2022 and that Newport had 6 areas of assessment. The Policy and Partnerships Manager stated that there had been a consultation period and that the results had been amalgamated to create a draft which the final plan would be published setting out planned improvements on the key areas. The Policy and Partnerships Manager

The Policy and Partnerships Manager noted that the draft plan had been published and there were a few amendments to be made but once this had been finalised that it would be updated on the public website and information circulated in Libraries and community spaces.

The Policy and Partnerships Manager noted that two interconnecting objectives had been identified from the Well-being Assessment and gave a brief description of each.

-          1. ‘We want to create a fairer, more equitable and inclusive Gwent for all’.

-          2 ‘We want a climate-ready Gwent, where our environment is valued and protected, benefitting our well-being now and for future generations.’

. The Policy and Partnerships Manager stated that there had been a focus on the Marmot principles in the assessment, which are indicators of health and life expectancy.

The Policy and Partnerships Manager stated that there were 179 recommendations to be worked on but highlighted that this is a long-term plan and that the benefits of some would not be immediately obvious. The Policy and Partnerships Manager stated that there was a meeting to look at how to address these issues which will form part of the action plan. The Policy and Partnerships Manager concluded by encouraging the Community Council Representatives to read the reports and consider ways that these inequalities can be addressed through working together.

The Democratic and Electoral Services Manger thanked the Policy and Partnerships Manager and noted the ambition.

The Chair of Standards Committee queried how the partner organisations in the Gwent PSB had been selected.

-          The Policy and Partnerships Manager stated that the PSB had corresponding Legislation and that there was a list of ones that are co-opted for particular work. The Policy and Partnerships Manager noted that there were some organisations who acted as conduits for a larger sector.

A Community Councillor questioned whether there was any further information on Marmot principles.

-          The Policy and Partnerships Manager stated that Professor Marmot had first published a report in 2010 and then had revisited this after the Covid Pandemic to see whether there had been any improvements. There had not been any changes,  which Professor Marmot considered had signified that current systems were not working despite the best efforts of many. The research is considered a challenging read but aims to incentivise better collaboration and approaches.

The Democratic and Electoral Services Manager concluded by thanking the Policy and Partnerships Manager and highlighting the actions going forward.

-          The Policy and Partnerships Manager was to share the appropriate links to the Community Councillors to promote the consultations within their communities.

-          The Policy and Partnerships Manager stated that she would extend the closing date of the consultation to the end of October.